


Ice Cream in the Winter

by candemtown, ClearDelacroix



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Bisexuality, Canon Compliant, Complete, Dark Past, F/M, Family Drama, Ice Cream, Investigations, M/M, McHanzo - Freeform, Multi, OT3, Overwatch Recall, Personal Growth, Polyamory, Post-Canon, Post-Fall of Overwatch, Pre-OT3, Romance, Talon Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix, Vishkar Corporation, Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix-centric, Winter, World Travel, mcwidow, mcwidowhanzo, widowhanzo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2020-12-31 07:30:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 49,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21115979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candemtown/pseuds/candemtown, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClearDelacroix/pseuds/ClearDelacroix
Summary: Hanzo Shimada is trying to rediscover himself after finding out Genji is not dead. His journey leads him to be between Amélie Lacroix, Talon's Widowmaker, and the former Overwatch agent, Jesse McCree, who will instigate the Archer to pick a side.





	1. Chapter 1

Ice cream in the winter. The perfect scenario that describes both of them. At least it has been a sunny week. Maybe it fits even more closely to what they are, and to what they are becoming. It is important, however, to emphasize the fact that their upcoming spring is not certain.

They find interesting how childhood is a powerful period in life in so many different ways. No psychologist was needed to get an approach to this simple but efficient exercise in their more recent days. They only discussed about it. Agreed.

Now, somewhere in a pistachio gelato, Amélie is looking for some glance of the small purple striped flowers she used to love when she left her ballet class to have some ice cream with the maid in the middle of Monceau Park, in Paris. She never got to know the name of that kind of flower, or never really enjoyed the company of the maid, but she remembers how scared one episode involving those elements turned out to be. Crawling under the park bench to properly appreciate one of those purple flowers, she found herself following an ant walking until it got eaten by a spider. The maid was the only person she could find to hide from the murder scene. Given her relationship with spiders nowadays, or murders for that matter, the gelato could barely taste the same. Its flavor is now more triumphant than rewarding.

Hanzo, in his turn, was caught by the feeling of watching Amélie experiencing her gelato. She is so impassive that he cannot have any clue of what is passing through her head, but after some time spent together, he can at least know that something relevant is going on. He also knows that even if Amélie can be that impassive, she is really trying to not play such nonchalance with him. If he asked her what she is thinking about, she would tell him. But he is not going to.

“Just remembering an old memory.” She explains once she notices his stare. “I wish the feeling within it could be as easy to revive as the souvenir. Now go on, it is your turn.”

Hanzo giggles to the unexpected mind reading. And then he confronts the sweet flavor of his chocolate gelato.

Chocolate and ice cream, two things that were not part of his early memories. They were too frivolous, too banal. But Amélie is now encouraging him to try these normal-life stuff. It is not like he had never seen an ice cream before, or chocolate, but the powerful childish associations made him not be tempted to try them. His father would hate him for having this moment. When a teenager, Genji could not spend one single day without these occidental foods. But his father is not alive anymore and Genji made a better life for himself independent of which kind of meal he was having.

“It tastes good. Delicious, actually.”

“I’m happy you liked it, darling. Or at least I think I could be happy about it.”

This type of humor is one of the things they like the most. Making fun about something delicate and not even laughing about it after. It gives them a glance of partnership more than anything. Something rare.

“Actually, I’m really happy about trying it.  _ Heureux _ , as you could say.”

“And the memories?”

“The no-memories, are you saying?” He tastes it again. “I feel like I’m making new ones more than reviving the older ones. Maybe this is already some great advance… to not refuse it, you know?”

“ _ Oui _ , it makes sense. But I still hope I’ll have the chance of seeing you getting emotional about some old stuff.”

“Ha-ha. But why the hell would you like to witness something like this?”

“Why don’t you answer it yourself? We both know that you yearn for the same thing.”

“ _ Touché _ .”

They get back to their gelato.

“And so?” She insists.

“Well… In my case it is way more explicit than it is in yours. Due to your minimal alternate state, it is really interesting to presence you having real feelings. Can you say the same about me?”

“ _ Ouhla _ , I wonder why do we spend this bunch of time just investigating ourselves… But answering your question, you find me a cold person when you can be as cold as me, can you see that? It would be out of routine having a vulnerable you for an instant.”

“With you I am being more vulnerable than I’ve ever been with anybody before, trust me. And stop staring my at tongue as I lick this damn gelato.”

“Why’d I stop?” She gives him a provocative stare.

He licks his gelato again.

“Okay, I can give you a taste.” Hanzo smiles while extending his arm.

Amélie gently smiles back, but then pulls his face by the chin beard, but not all the way to the kiss, so he can finish it. But he doesn’t.

“You don’t want it. I know you only enjoy it when you are being kissed, not kissing.”, he explains.

“I’m not sure you’re right. I used to, but I’d say I’d rather see you taking the first step. Specifically, you. I know you are still intimidated by me.”

And then he kisses her.

He rests his hand on her waist, managing the half ice cream on the other.

She caresses his cheek before ending, saying:

“Let’s not do it again today.”

“Was it too terrible?”

“Hanzo, I can’t… I find myself desiring you and then your kiss is too childish.”

“Great, our childhood day lesson is complete now.”

She laughs, making him smile back.

“At least you don’t complain about  _ other activities _ .”

“‘Cause I made you good at it.”

“So, make me good at kissing.”

“I’m still trying,  _ chéri _ .”

“Ok, enough of teasing, just kiss me like you want to be kissed. Don’t leave me like a wishful boy.”

And so she does. They both enjoy it without saying a word.

A few minutes later they are taking a walk by the Geneva’s Lake, being heated by the last sun rays of the day. Amélie has taken off her coat so she can feel it through her white shirt, through her skin.

The mountains seem alight by the reflections on the water, the cloudless sky toned like a rainbow, and even captivated by the paint-like landscape, Hanzo is still aware of the woman walking beside him, of how comfortable she seemed to be, especially in her suit without tie, her coat well folded in the other arm.

“Have you decided if you are engaging Talon’s mission this Saturday night?”

“No, I haven’t. But I don’t want to talk about it now. I’m liking just being taken by the time, as we have been doing these last two weeks. Your coat still smells like your perfume, and it is good mixed with the essence that comes through the lake. I like how we have been talking, and turning everything into something meaningful. I’ll make these moments become this smell.”

Hanzo looks at his own black coat, not so classy as hers, but stylish, for sure. She bought it for him the first night she spent in the city, before he arrived, but the size did not fit, so he went the day after to change it. While trying a new one, the seller liked his dragon tattoo so much and said he could paint it in the coat. So now his left arm continues to display the same image as it covered. But the smell does not allegorize to anything special for now.

“You’re right…” He starts talking in a different tone of voice before he could end the sentence, as he half closes his eyes to better see who comes on the other sense, shadowed by the dry trees. “I would be glad to do the same, but sometimes it gets harder when we have some reminder of real life.”

“Which remin…” Amélie interrupts herself as she also spots him. “Ah.”

Some cold wind blows when they both stop the walk. Their restless hair. Amélie leaning on the lake ledge.

“What a beautiful couple! And what a beautiful meeting!” Says surprisingly the man in head-to-toe black, including his knee length cape and triangular hat.

“Ha-ha. I’m pretty sure this is a total unplanned meeting, Mccree.” Scorns Amélie still leaning on the ledge. “What a coincidence!”

He smiles joyfully, briefly swapping his gaze to Hanzo then back to her.

“You have to trust me when I say that I was just taking a walk. I just arrived in the city yesterday night. It is fair to appreciate this wonderful landscape when we get a chance, isn’t it?”

He can barely take his eyes from Amélie. His voice is warmful, conveying emotion even in a casual phrase. But Amélie does not seem to be affected by his attempts to break the ice, so she stands straight and rises her face, instead, like she is saying “okay, that’s it? Get back to your walk so”. But then she turns to Hanzo and marvels when he says:

“I still don’t have an answer for you, Mccree.”

“My gosh, you two need to chill for a while.” He accuses slowly moving his head towards Hanzo. “I’m just taking a walk, as I said. But if you’re inviting me to discuss your unformed opinions, I’d accept the invitation for a coffee, buttercup.”

“Not today. Tomorrow afternoon.”

“You’re the best, little Shimada.”

And then he continues his walk.

Amélie relinks her arm to Hanzo’s and, holding her laugh, stares at him, affirming:

“I don’t know if I’m more surprised by the fact that you two know each other or for you liking the cowboy.  _ Mon Dieu _ ! Buttercup?” She ends up laughing. “You ended up making me feel something. Embarrassment.”

“C’mon, you felt it not for me, but for how he couldn’t see anything other than you.”

“Hanzo, Hanzo… Enjoy your coffee tomorrow as you’ll get as much time as you want to ogle him like you just did.”

“I know you can be funnier.”

“I could say the same.”

“Let’s blame it on the lack of sleep.”

“I’ll take that. But I don’t wanna go home yet. Can we walk to the Broken Chair before?”

“It’s my turn to choose the music.”

Hanzo picks a double earset and in instants they resume the walk, silently side by side, listening to a mantra.

But the calming surroundings didn’t help for a sleepful night. Later that day, back in the apartment, Hanzo has a lot in his mind looking through the window. He had initially planned to meditate but has not started yet.

Having been sitting there for God knows how long, he lost track of the time with all the thinking. Restless nights are nothing new to him, but even so, it never got easier and he would never get used to it. As it should be. He doesn’t deserve to get used to it.

“Nightmares again?” Amélie’s voice comes from behind. The last months in her company made things a lot more bearable and he couldn’t be more grateful. She sits down beside him on the balcony floor, the moonlight looking amazing against her skin.

He would be lying if he said he didn’t get distracted for a moment there.

“They never really go away, you know?” he sighs, knowing that she is probably awake because of her own nightmares.

“Yes” she says, mournful. “Yes, I know.” she completes, not looking at him.

They stay in silence for a long time, a comfortable silence. Hanzo likes these moments a lot, in which they feel and understand each other in the deepest way, knowing that above all, they had each other. It does not necessarily relate to physical contact, that’s why few minutes later they find themselves serenely sleeping on the carpet. Their mind proximity made all seem comfortable, even more than when they are cuddling on the bed.

At some time in the morning, when the floor felt unbearably uncomfortable, they returned to bed, but this time the sleep could take all morning long. The day came out cloudy but not enough to cover the sun. In a few minutes, the time to the encounter with Mccree will arrive.

Hanzo opted for walking, as his route was long enough for him to think and try to clear his mind for the encounter. His reflection lasted only fifteen minutes or so before he stops in front of the agreed place. And so Hanzo finds himself at the  _ Café  _ downtown. He keeps being intrigued by how the city of Geneva maintains its past architecture intact and well-conserved. The  _ café  _ is a charming place in the street corner, decorated like a living room of an ancient palace, all in pastels, but with a lot of tables placed in the porch, which guarantees light along the wide windows. They have human waiters but today is not really crowded. He enters the local, searching for the man he met yesterday, regretting the choice of place once it is so sober and lit. But McCree wasn’t there yet. So he chooses a table making up his mind that maybe it is better this way, a light place to clarify his decision. Thus, he was not really expecting that in seconds the newcomer that has just been announced by the chiming bell by the door would sit right beside him, not in the chair in front.

“Would you bring a double espresso for this old man, sweetheart?” he asks the young girl who came with the menu. He has that flirty voice with a hint of exhaustion, the type that is not resulting of a hard day, but an entire life.

“And one irish coffee.” Hanzo intervenes, returning the unopened menu. “It’s been a while, McCree.” he looks at the newcomer for the first time, taking in how different he is since the last time they saw each other, after he discovered his brother was still alive. The hair is longer that he remembers, half of it tied in a tiny ponytail behind his head, showing off his face that, for once, isn’t hidden by the bill of his hat. 

“Look at you, all renewed in few months. I’d probably say you look years younger without your ancient gray streaks, or with this metal in your face.” McCree notes, his arm on the right leg.

Hanzo finds the proximity strange, and so the direct eye contact. But he doesn’t back off. McCree tried to be comforting back in the day, after his brief encounter with Genji. He listened to the story and was comprehensive. But it wasn’t enough to keep Hanzo from returning his gaze to the girl coming with the orders. He couldn’t be more grateful for having a reason to talk about something shallow in order to break the ice he made himself, once McCree seems casually comfortable. 

“Thank you.” He says to the girl as she approaches them, looking at the other out of the corner of his eye and receiving a blinding smile in return. It was actually pretty great to see him again, although he does not have what he wants. “You should try the irish coffee.” He finally turns his head and finds his receptive eyes.

He notices that they were not black as he had always imagined, but a rich brown, much like his hair. Both were usually hidden by the leather hat.

Mccree slowly tries his espresso as Hanzo keeps asking himself if the other will directly approach the question or steer around it. But he doesn’t say anything, only keeps sipping the drink. The archer is not certain of how he thinks the ancient Overwatch agent planned to approach him, if this silence is a genuine appreciation of the drink or an incentive to make him talk, and so he could feel how Hanzo plans to conduct the conversation. While he ponders about it all, he ends up planning to not say anything.

“What a nice coat you got there!” McCree suddenly praises, studying the dragon painted in white.

The compliment would fit in what Hanzo categorized as contouring the main point. He also knows compliments are a great form to gain people to, after, be more persuasive. But he will let these remarks beside and accept the flattery, even because it really requires to be attentive, like the other proved to be by remembering the change in his appearance.

“Thank you, it was a gift from Amélie. She said it suits my haircut.”

And then he allows himself to be less wary. It was not part of his life having such warm people around him, so he takes his self-consciousness as something comprehensible. By the way, months ago, he told Jesse he would give him an answer, but he never did. And Jesse even after it still treats him this friendly way.

“She is not wrong. I see she has some fine perception.”

He finishes the study of the coat. “Let me now try this. Irish coffee, you said?”

“I did not know you both knew each other, neither she did about us.” Hanzo gives him the cup. “Yes, it is espresso mixed with whiskey.”

“Whiskey? I thought you were more into sake.”

“So you remember that I ordered it last time?” - Hanzo find the idea funny.

“I’m not sure if it’s my memory or if it’s kinda obvious.” He gives him a wink. “Well, the coffee is actually great. I’ll order one for myself.” Then he orders the drink. “Now, back to Amélie, I see you look like you’re having a good time together. I know it’s not my business, but…” McCree starts, taking a sip of his own drink. “How's things with spider lady?”

“Don’t.” Hanzo warns, but can’t contain his laughter at the title, “Don’t let her hear you calling her that, she’ll kill you in your sleep.”

“Well, good thing I don’t sleep with her, then.” he says, and smirks suggestively. Hanzo shakes his head smiling, wondering what she might be doing at the moment. “So?” the cowboy demands.

“It’s nice. Simple. Comfortable, even. There’s no pressure on both sides, we’re just seeing how things go and it’s been pretty good so far.” He had never talked in depth to anyone about his relationship with Amélie.

“Isn’t it tricky, sometimes? Dating someone that can’t feel?”

“We are not dating.”

“Yeah, right.” Hanzo couldn’t decide if he was being ironic or not.

“It’s not like I’m the easiest person either. We’re learning.”

“Awww, what a beautiful fairytale” McCree wipes a fake tear and Hanzo punches him in the arm.

“You’re an idiot. But yes, definitively, she has been helping me in such different ways. I’m glad she says the same about me. She’s even happy that you and me are hanging together.”

“Are you serious? I’d say she couldn’t bear me, yesterday.”

“That’s just her. After I explained how we met, she told me that she wants to see you again.”

That is a lie. Not completely a lie, Amélie really enjoyed that Hanzo would meet Mccree, but just because she kept saying that he has a crush on him. Then she wants to come to the  _ café _ just to see how the  _ date _ came out.

Remembering it now makes Hanzo get a little embarrassed, so he drinks a bunch of the coffee at once. Anyway, he is appreciating how McCree is conducting the whole thing. From how he didn’t press him the first time to how interested in his life he is being now. But it is necessary to not confuse things. He wants Hanzo to join Overwatch, that is it. He said before that an old agent, a genetic treated monkey, was reuniting everybody again, and new agents were welcome. “The world could always use more heroes” he sarcastically announced, like he was repeating what another person said. But Hanzo is far away from seeing himself as a hero.

“It will certainly be great to see her again. Even if I don’t feel that comfortable with her around.” He laughs to himself.

“Are you sure? I found you so easeful yesterday.”

“I learnt how to conceal some feelings. I venture to say you too. But what I mean is that it isn’t easy to be casual with her as it is with you.” Then he lays his elbow on Hanzo’s shoulder.

Who is not feeling casual at all now is Hanzo. What if Amélie was right? Does he have a crush on the cowboy? Or did he just had the coffee and whiskey mix too fast?

Once the girl comes with Mccree’s order, Hanzo can sigh in relief. But the feeling doesn’t last long:

“Wouldn’t you like to have anything to eat?” She asks. “We have a wonderful Black Forest cake in offer today. You’ll get two slices for the price of one, a special for couples!”

McCree finds it really funny, especially when he notices the look in Hanzo’s face.

“Oh my dear, I really want a slice of the cake, but we ain’t a couple, can we get the offer even so?” He still smiles.

_ “Si si _ ... Y-yes.” She answers, pretty awkward.

“He has a girlfriend, I should remark. But he is such a man, isn’t he?” Jesse take a look at Hanzo from head to toe. “Really handsome, don’t you think?”

“I’ll be back with the cake.” The blushing lady only nods to the question, before leaving.

Hanzo didn’t even notice he was gaping when the cowboy turned back to him and laughed at his expression.

“What?” McCree shrugged “Oh, you can’t blame me. Have you seen yourself? C’mon. Amélie does have a great taste, I gotta give her that.” and that  _ goddamn _ wink that makes Hanzo splutter and fumble with his cup, almost knocking it over.

“Anyways,” he clears his throat, trying to regain some control by changing the topic, “why are you here, again?”

McCree turns his whole body towards him, his expression turning serious for the first time that afternoon. Hanzo was not exactly sure the piercing gaze was any better than the flirty stare. He doesn't know if he wants to back himself up or if he could be enjoying it.

“Right. I know you told me you haven’t made up your mind yet, but… I just wanted to know if you are really considering it.”

“McCree, I…” Hanzo sighs, choosing his words carefully. “I’m really not what you need. I’m not a hero.”

“I know you’re not. You don’t need to be. Hell, Shimada,  _ I  _ am not a hero and you know that.” Hanzo keeps silent when he doesn’t know what to say. “I’ll give you more time, but we can’t wait forever.” 

“I’ll make sure to let you know as soon as I make my choice.” Hanzo determines, with an apologetic smile. McCree smiles back, comfortingly.

“You know Talon’s got a close eye on you too. Maybe too close.” He snickers as if he had thought of a very funny joke. 

The slices of cake are positioned on the table then, having been brought by a different girl this time. No one wonders why. McCree immediately takes a bite with the fork that is comically small for his hands. Hanzo gets somewhat distracted by noticing how big and strong his hands are when McCree literally  _ moans _ at the taste.

“Holy shit, this is some good cake” He comments, taking a second, bigger bite. Why Amélie had to made that crush provocation? He could be having a nice time with a promising friend rather than all these awkward thoughts, and, worse yet, for a man. Hanzo is pretty sure there’s some color on his face right now, so he tries the cake on his plate to try and distract himself. It’s a good cake indeed, the rich chocolate flavor flooding his palate being followed by a burst of cherry. Tastes even better with the espresso-bourbon concoction.

But the crucial part of the conversation is over, it comes evidently. So they both relax and order more of the boozy coffee, getting each cup more tipsy, to the point Hanzo somehow started calling McCree out on being a shit cowboy for riding a motorcycle and not a horse.

Not far from the  _ café _ , Amélie knows she could have some use for her clueless friend. Or boyfriend. Or the guy she is hanging out with… what really matters is that she cannot explain why she is always having the feeling of protecting him.

She keeps in mind the image of him being shy in front of the unnecessary american. How he would be trying to convince him to be careful with her, or to run away.

At the place Hanzo told her to meet him, she opens up the door casually, emotionless.

Those thoughts only got out of her head when she watches, unbelievably, the scene of Hanzo wearing McCree's scarf, both of them side by side, and Hanzo holding the american by his shoulders.

“Oh, aren’t you two so cozy?” Amélie’s sudden appearance by their table made them sit up straight, keeping some distance. “Hello again, McCree.” Her face is blank as ever, but Hanzo could swear he saw a glint of malice in her eyes.

“Mrs. Lacroix.” He nods as a greeting.

Hanzo watches the exchange with interest, seeing how McCree gets more tense and alert in her presence, recalling their conversation about her not tolerating him. 

“I’m sorry for interrupting your date, I was just passing by and wondered if Hanzo would like a ride home?” Her tone is innocent but Hanzo knows she is there to check how things were going with his “crush”, as she would say. 

Hanzo had a choice, then. Stay, let things happen and figure out what he wants as they go or go home with Amélie and get more time to decide rationally. McCree must have seen the hesitation on his face and decides for him.

“Well, it’s getting late and I don’t want to get any more tipsy on alcohol and caffeine or I will be useless tomorrow morning.”

The two of them split the bill, but not after a short discussion, and leave the café, stopping on the sidewalk to say their goodbyes. Surprisingly, Amélie is the first one to talk.

“How long are you staying in town?”

“As long as I have a reason to stay.” McCree answers cryptically, but his brief glance in Hanzo’s direction says it all.

“Maybe we can arrange another playdate for you two soon” 

“I would love that. You should join us next time.”

“We’ll see. I would hate to get in the way of your lovey-dovey time.” She teases, making Hanzo look away as if he didn’t even hear it.

“I said  _ join _ us, not  _ get in the way _ .” McCree teases back, smirking. 

Amélie actually reacts by raising her eyebrows at him, reading between his lines.

“Well, I guess it’s time to go. I had a wonderful time today, it was great seeing you again.” He turns to Hanzo, giving him a big genuine smile and going for a hug that is promptly accepted by the other. Hanzo was about to open his mouth and say something but Amélie interrupts him.

“I’m sure McCree has a long way ahead of him, don’t you think he deserves a kiss for the road?” 

Hanzo just can’t decide if he really adores her or hates her right now because McCree backed out of the hug a little and is looking so deep in his eyes he can feel it in his guts. And he even has the nerve to do that infuriating half-smile that probably gets him as many women - and men? - as he pleases.

“Oh, I must say I really like the way your girlfriend thinks ‘cause, y’know, I came all the way here just to see you and-”

“Shut up.” 

And so Hanzo shuts his mouth for him. With his own, mashing against the other’s. Wasting no time, McCree accepts and deepens the kiss, making them both breathless in no time. They spend a couple seconds exploring each other’s mouths before slowing down and eventually parting, but not without a last peck. Needless to say, Hanzo can’t make any words come out of his mouth, still processing what has just happened. McCree smiles and winks one last time before walking away. Hanzo stays glued to the ground, watching as the other gets more and more distant until he finally disappears in a corner.

“Let’s go, lover boy” She has to physically make him move by pulling him by the hand towards the parked car and he doesn’t speak until they are both seated.

“You are having way too much fun with this.” He grumbles.

“Oh, stop whining. You know you loved kissing the cowboy. Would you rather I wasn’t? Would you prefer if I was crazy with jealousy? Throwing glasses and vases at you?”

“You know that’s not what I mean.” He looks at her, trying to find any trace of emotion but she just looks focused as she drives. “I know we never really discussed exclusivity and stuff, but are you really okay with this?”

“Huh?” She looks over, genuinely confused. “Why would I have any say in this? This is between the two of you, the only thing that matters is how you feel. Which I, by the way,  _ don’t.  _ At all.” He knew she was trying to lighten up the mood by making him laugh, and was grateful for it, as he relaxes a little, thinking. “How do you feel?” she asks, eventually.

The answer takes a couple seconds because it seems like as soon as the words leave his mouth, it will become real and not something that is only on his mind.

“I think… I like him…” He starts but leaves the words hanging in the end.

“But?” Amélie encourages him to keep talking.

“But I like you too.”

She smiles fondly at him, stopping at a red light and turning to hold his face.

“There’s your answer, then.” She leans over and pecks him lightly on the lips, trying to be comforting but makes a face immediately after.

“Oh no, I indirectly kissed the cowboy” Hanzo laughs at her appalled expression.

Then Amélie disturbs him for the rest of the ride asking him if McCree is a better kisser than she is.


	2. Chapter 2

It must be around three or four in the morning when Hanzo opens his eyes, not finding Amélie besides him on the bed. He sits up and squints around, spotting her silhouette by the closet. She’s zipping up her black catsuit and he knows what it means.

“So you decided to go?”, it's a rhetorical question, but he is barely awake.

“I gotta.” she justifies, “After the encounter with McCree, I don’t want Talon getting any twisted ideas.”

“Oh…", he pauses for a second, "Will I see you again?” He tries not to sound too hopeful.

“You could always come with me,  _ chéri _ , you know that.” She offers, climbing the balcony railing. Much like it was with McCree, Hanzo doesn’t have an answer for that. “Meet me in New York.” Then she disappears in the night.

Hanzo sighs, telling himself he can’t miss her, because that’s not Amélie, pistachio gelato and purple flowers lover anymore. She’s Widowmaker, Talon’s merciless and impeccable sniper.

Knowing he wouldn’t get any more sleep, Hanzo decides to make himself a cup of green tea, closing the balcony door on his way to the kitchen, stopping the cold breeze from entering the room.

He can’t help the thoughts that flood his head while he’s steeping the dry leaves. Amélie’s words about accompanying her on missions and McCree’s about Talon keeping a close eye on him all come back at once, almost giving him a headache. And to make things worse, he couldn’t even say he  _ knew _ Amélie enough to know that recruiting him was not the reason she was there. He only knew her the bare minimum to trust he wouldn’t wake up one day with her sniper rifle aimed at him. And he was never even 100% certain of that.

Standing in the middle of that cold kitchen, with nothing but his own thoughts to keep him company, his tea tastes more bitter than usual.

The sun is barely out when Hanzo decides to take a walk outside, as the empty apartment was getting nearly suffocating. 

Hanzo wanders around the streets until people start leaving their houses and occupying the sidewalks, the cozy neighborhood waking up. On his way back to the apartment, a wave of white coming from the balcony catches his eye. 

He furrows his brows, clearly remembering having closed the balcony door earlier. It can’t be Amélie, as it is impossible for her to be back, and this soon. 

Something is not right. 

He rounds the corner, entering the alley that gives access to the side of the building and climbs the irregular wall with ease, quickly reaching the kitchen window. He takes a peek, and, not being able to see anyone or anything different, he soundlessly lifts the window open and slides inside the apartment. Trying to not make any sounds that might get him discovered, he walks close to the wall, attentive to any sounds. He can hear muffled footsteps coming from the main bedroom. One-, no, two pairs of feet. Peeking around the corner, he spots two figures dressed completely in black, including masks, with no visual identification whatsoever. 

— She's not here. But she must not be far. — One of them says.  _ She?,  _ Hanzo questions himself. Why were these people after Amélie? How did they find them?

— We can still get her. The stupid cowboy was of some help after all. — the other one completes.  _ McCree?!,  _ Hanzo refuses to believe he had any part in that. But he had to act, fast. He couldn't risk the chance of those people getting to Amélie or delivering information about them. Hanzo weighed his options. They were two, while he was only one, even though they were more on the slender side. Besides, he didn't know if they had any type of weapons on them, or their skills. Although, he had the surprise factor on his side. He knew they were there, but they didn't know about him.

So his act starts with something simple. When they come back to the kitchen, Hanzo has only to stand his legs on the corridor and then the first one falls off, giving him the advantage to reach the second’s face with his elbow. But he knows it will not take too long for the first one to rise up, that is why he pretends to not see him and so he can surprisingly kick him in the stomach when the other projects his body in an unreached punch. However, what Hanzo doesn’t expect is the quick recovery of the second guy. He comes from behind and hits Hanzo in the back of his knee so he loses balance and falls.

The first guy is still stunned by the punch, Hanzo makes sure to confirm it on the floor. He is throwing up on the carpet Amélie said she hated.

“C’mon, help me out here” The second barks as he steps with one foot in Hanzo’s back to gain more time. His mistake. Hanzo grabs his ankles with both hands, turning around and knocking him over, his head hits the counter in the way.

“What do you want here? Who are you?” The archer inquiries the sick guy.

“We just wanted to talk.” He replies angry.

“Why are your faces covered? Who sent you?”

“We just needed to know if the purple woman stands in her way. She didn’t answer, and there was you and Overwatch…”

Hanzo had enough. He just hits him in the back of the head to knock him out.

_ Ok _ , he ponders,  _ I was considering to move on, to be honest. _

20 minutes later, he closes the front door of the building, leaving behind the two guys tied up in the basement, so that the apartment can be returned in the same condition as it was rented. Thinking about it makes him smiles with gratification. So, he straightens the backpack on his shoulders and makes his way out, but bumping  _ hard _ against something, or most exactly,  _ someone  _ after going around a corner.

"Hanzo! Are you okay?" McCree sounds out of breath, as if he had been running. Hanzo squints at him, suspecting the question. How did he know something happened? Was Amélie in danger because of him? Just this idea makes Hanzo see red and without even thinking, he grabs McCree by the collar and slams him against the nearest wall, receiving a bewildered look in return. 

"Han-" 

"What did you do?! What's your part in this? Did you send those people after Amélie?" 

"Whoa, whoa, Hanzo, calm down." He puts his hands up in surrender and waits until Hanzo frees him to continue. He sighs and scratches his head before completing, not looking Hanzo in the eyes “I might… have been followed yesterday on my way to the café…” 

Hanzo is baffled, to say the least.

“What the  _ fuck _ , McCree! Followed? Are you a  _ fucking _ rookie?”

McCree’s expression goes through a sequence of disappointed, apologetic and surprised in less than two seconds.

“Wow Shimada, I never took you for the cursing type.”

“Don’t change the topic. Someone could have gotten hurt.” And by  _ someone _ , he means Amélie. Not that he thought she couldn’t protect herself, but he was…

… Worried?

Huh, interesting.

“You’re coming with me.” Hanzo simply says, walking by him, not looking back to check if the cowboy was following him. He is.

“Oh, whatever will I do” McCree says ironically “It’s not like I have other things to do.”

Hanzo stops abruptly, McCree almost bumping into him but catching himself on time. 

“Do you?” Hanzo asks, completely serious.

“No”

And that’s how Jesse McCree finds himself in an airplane to New York.

Certainly, the way things are going is totally an unusual form of consolidating a friendship. That is what Hanzo is thinking when the plane gets off the ground. After, it comes the more dramatic thoughts, when he can see Geneva far below: "I loved this city, but I'm leaving it to return who knows when again. I'm leaving just because I can't live normally". So it goes...

He only remembers McCree is sitting beside him once the cruiser speed is reached, when he turns around to find him smiling.

"You are a nice guy. You are also comfortable." Hanzo smiles and grabs the other's knee.

"Is it really happening? The dragon is making me a compliment?" Now his smiles shows more emotion. "A strange one, I should remark, but still a compliment".

"Are you really more surprised about it than all the other things that happened these last days?"

Some laughter from both of them ends the conversation, before they get some sleep.

“Don’t wake me up for the meal” Hanzo warns the friend, but he does anyway, earning a threatening glare.

“What? They have sake!” He raises his hands as the action was unavoidable.

“What did I do to deserve you?” His disapprovement comes with a smile. “I don’t want sake right now. It doesn’t taste good up here.”

“Chill there… You’re always complaining. But you’re still a company” He chortles “I confess I got bored here.”

“Oh my. How long ‘till we land?”

“Less than one hour, I guess. Are you anxious?”

“Not really.”

“Have you ever been to New York City?”

“Nope. You?”

“Sure, a million times. It’s a nice place, you are going to enjoy it.”

“Hope so.” He finishes his meal. “Let me return to my rest now, can you?”

“You can lean on my shoulder. Ain’t I the comfortable guy?”

“Fuck off, McCree.” He turns around and leans his head on the seat.

Soon enough the plane lands and Hanzo is awake again, for McCree’s happiness.

"So you’re telling me you only got to kiss two girls your whole life?" McCree cannot conceal his laugh. "The first girl that was supposed to be your wife when you were a teenager and now Amélie?"

"Yes, so? Do you like the feeling of exclusivity?" Hanzo teases in between lines.

"Ha ha, did you consider that kiss A thing?"

"Then why are you asking me this?"

"I'm just surprised. I'd like to see you being more... Normal guy, maybe? Like, being excited to be in New York, spending this insane amount of money you have like a gangster, or going insane for having a girlfriend like yours."

"Here you go with that girlfriend talk again... But fine, it'd be cool if I enjoyed this kind of thing, but that just ain't me." Hanzo explains, bored.

"C'mon, tonight we havin’ a men’s night out".

"Are we? Amélie can be home early, and she might need me".

"You know she won't. And she told you she doesn't want to be bothered."

"Who bothers her is you".

"Details". His smile is so lightful that Hanzo feels a sudden urge to appease him. But he just cannot blame his impulse on it. He’s been trying to be more a normal guy since some mouths. By the way, what is the point in his appearance change, those days with Amélie - a girlfriend, as he is afraid of admitting -, and self-seeking travels?

"Ok, you bastard. What do you have planned?"

"Just a little night out here in New York City."

"Right, I saw Times Square is only a few blocks from here, we can take a walk."

"No, 'passi dou tout' as your girlfriend would say. We gonna get new clothes, call a luxury cab and have some drinks at a rooftop."

"It's pas du tout, and don't you get tired of wearing the fuck out of me, little shit cowboy?"

"I know you love it".

And then in a few minutes they are inside of a black SUV, looking out the window at the snow slowly falling down and accumulating in the ground of Manhattan.

The suit store was not far away, on the seventh avenue. They walk in fast steps to the entrance as the car waits for them.

"Good evening, how can I help you, gentlemen?" Asks politely the man who came from behind the counter in the back of the store to receive them.

"Howdy, sir." McCree answers before Hanzo. "We need two formal suits, one for me and another for this stallion here."

Hanzo gives the attendance a contradicted smirk, who only briefly smiles back and goes after the clothes.

It doesn't take too long until the large mirror in the dark green carpeted room shows the reflection of Hanzo in a white striped aquamarine pants and a suit vest above a two colored shirt, left side in white and the other all in black. The shirt cuffs are folded until the half of his forearm, contrasting to a more classic look McCree wears, with a black coat covering his gold suit vest in the same color.

"Look at you, you look GORGEOUS, spider husband." McCree praises while checking the other out, hands in pocket. "Isn't he?" He asks the man.

"Yes, this vest fitted him well." He casually affirms. "Your friend chose it well".

"Thank you. But it's a shame I can't say the same about him."

And then McCree only gets convinced Hanzo was kidding when they are back in the car, after the third time asking.

Their old clothes are now stored in the trunk as they drink some expensive water contemplating the busy avenues.

The water is replaced by a dry Martini once they are finally at the lounge somewhere in midtown.

Even if there are few seating tables, they choose one of the standing ones, beside a window, in front of the lowered floor center where some people and omnics dance.

The place is not really full, but it is far from being empty.

Some really interesting people are there, and McCree even catch himself looking for Ashe. He is going to say something about it to Hanzo when he finds him staring out the window.

"It's a nice city, isn't it?" McCree tries to understand what passes in the inner world of his strange friend.

"I find it sad". He says without emotion. "It has all the dreamy stuff I can't dream about, but that I would love to."

"Dear Hanzo of mine, here comes you. Don't keep overthinking things now, man!" He seems really worried while lowering his head to look him in the eyes. "Just point out now some girl you find interesting and distract yourself".

"Here comes  _ you _ , I could say. But okay okay, let's try your game."

He scans the room. Initially, he is searching for someone he would have some great talk, but then he remembers that this is not the point now. He was just about to point out a omnic when he realizes the objective of McCree's game.

"Ok, do you see that girl in a gold dress, to our right?"

"Wow, I was not expecting you to point me a blond girl. I was not keeping my eyes on her, but her friend is really cute. Do you wanna have a talk with them?"

"What's the trouble with her being blonde?"

"No problem! Just surprised."

"Let's have another Martini before" He knows why he is surprised but decides to let it pass.

However, before they finish the other Martini, the girls just kiss and they had to ask another one before finding two new girls.

"Ok, now it's time to use all your charm". McCree warns before leaving the table, stumbling when doing, then laughing.

_ Oh my, he is so drunk _ , Hanzo remembers analysing, but just after that he finds himself laughing on it as if it was the funniest show.

"Greetings, ladies" the American says emphatically "have you tried the dry Martini from here? They really know how to make good ones."

They smile at him, and then change the glance to the other who appeared from behind.

"Ooh, this is my friend Hanzo. He came here to say 'hi' too. He was just talking about how you look stunning with all the lighting here." They are still smiling, waiting for Hanzo to say something, but McCrees continues "But isn't him who looks stunning in these lights?"

Their smiles turned to a confuse show of teeth.

"You got really nice dance moves."

"Thank you, Hanzo!" An exquisite woman answer. "And what's the name of your friend?"

"This dick-headed here? His name is Jesse... just an importunate flirter. But I must confess I'm here wondering how his beard would feel rubbing against mine."

McCree laughs and side rugs the Japanese.

"Don't you wonder the same?" He asks the other girl.

"You guys are funny. Enjoy your night." They turn around.

So Hanzo and McCree stare at each other without a clue, but only for a few seconds. Soon enough, they are contemplating each other's mouth until they start kissing. A big and dramatic kiss. It gets to the point of Jesse pushing Hanzo against the wall.

"I have failed on you tonight" McCree says with a tipsy voice. "But you still kissed only two girls in your life."

"Shut up, you annoying cowboy."

"So are you anxious for more? I know I pleasured you better than any other girl here. Or in your life"

Hanzo punches him in the face. Some people turn to them to see what is going on, but suddenly they start to laugh.

"You're really cute." He caresses his own cheek. "Smaller than me and yet fearless."

In response, the archer pulls him to another kiss.

Initially, they both get the impulse of putting their hands around the other's waist. Then, McCree poses his hands on Hanzo's wrists.

"How weird is it for you?" The American asks, brushing the other's beard with his fingers.

"What?" The Japanese plays with Jesse's chin beard. "The beard? The punch? You?"

The answer is a new kiss.

"All of it?"

"I should say, for now, is how your kiss can still taste like smoke even though you didn't smoke recently. And I should keep a mental note to not have alcohol with you around."

"I'd probably say the opposite. Remember me to always drink something with you. It'll definitely be fun as fuck."

"We can only have fun while drunk, then?" He laughs to conceal the heaviness.

"It seems so, you make these questions less often. Or your mouth gets busier."

"I hate your between lines, McCree."

"I'm pretty sure you love them all, little black and white dragon. Let's have some cigars".

He’s actually not wrong. Jesse walks ahead towards the roofless area, leaving Hanzo countered smiling to himself.

Outside, they have an unusual view of the grey shaded sky with a few stars in the middle of Manhattan. The snow keeps falling down and the weather soon engages a new discussion.

"It gets real cold here."

"Too cold. I hate cold places. Next time let’s go somewhere warmer. Oh, the things I do for you” He muses, “Lucky you I'm the comfortable guy." McCrees teases with the cigar already lit in his mouth, opening his arm inviting the other.

"You already know I'll never make another compliment to you again, right?" He ignores the other's open arms to stand beside him.

"You don't need to, I'm learning to get them from your expressions." But Jesse just puts his arms around Hanzo's shoulders anyway. "Take it." He tries to put the cigar in his mouth with the other hand buts fails the first time and once again they start laughing.

"That's gross!" Announces the Japanese after the first drag. "It's like I'd kissed you"

"Can you really make Amélie laugh telling her things like this?"

"You know this is a weird position for two people to smoke?"

"Who cares? And it's my turn now" He pulls the cigar. "Now, answer my question."

"What a bad attitude. To pulls someone's cigar out of their mouth. Especially from a non-smoking person. You're lucky you’re comfortable indeed." He starts to play with McCree's beard like he hasn’t just done it a few minutes before. "She has a more sophisticated sense of humor than you, that's it."

McCrees half-smiles, looking at him from above, without moving his head.

"I can't compete with the wife, right?" He finishes the cigar and throws it up, returning his arm and facing the other. "But you know something? I'm really glad you didn't decide to join Overwatch yet. I'm loving being the other woman."

"Don't be, I just expect you to be my friend."

"I'm loving the benefits, though."

"Are you used to being in this position?"

"If I had been before, they didn't let me know."

"They?"

"Want to know if you are my first guy?"

"Am I?"

"Certainly it was fucking funny to kiss a big virgin Japanese guy in front of his wife."

"Go to hell, McCree. I just don't say kiss my ass 'cause I'm afraid of you doing so."

"You better not. What would your wife say?" He picks another cigar. "Let's pretend this is her."

"Definitely you're drunker than me."

"Shhh. Let's pretend it's her" He raises the cigar. "If she was..."

A  _ crack _ , then a whistle.

The cigar vanishes from in-between his fingers as he shrieks, horrified.

Hanzo automatically searches the floor to find what he took a few seconds to imagine: the cigar split in two by a bullet.

Even with all the intoxicating atmosphere he figures it out all at once and this is the moment when he realizes he does love Amélie. 

“C’mon you stupid cowboy. Before spider wife comes for your ass with a bullet."

*****

"I don't need to be in the middle." Amélie, still in her Widowmaker suit, complains, the three of them walking side by side after leaving the lounge "Let the short stallion here."

McCree laughs real loud and poses his forearm on Hanzo's shoulder next to him.

Amélie ends up laughing too, surprising the American and making Hanzo wonder about the emotion in the American's glance.

He is way easier to understand than Amélie is. And he looks at her with passion. It's not the same emotion Hanzo receives. To him, the archer realizes Jesse reserves a friendly glance. And even after all, he knows the American still faces everything as some joke. But it's ok for him, he has been facing it the same way.

"Oh no... I don't deserve you two together."

"Why not?" Jesse intervenes. "She's funny. You were right when you said your wif... Cof cof... She is funny."

"What were you calling me, Jesse?"

He suddenly becomes really embarrassed. But then she starts laughing.

"His wife?" She keeps laughing.

McCree does not find it funny until she completes:

"Poor Hanzo."

"Nothing worse than me next to both of you." Hanzo sighs.

"You know Shimada, we love you." McCree encourages him.

Hanzo knows this is just a mockery coming from him. But he does not know what Amélie - or, in this case, Widowmaker - would think about joking about their relationship and the unsaid love between them.

Once she laughs about it, he gets confused. And then, angry. She seems to find even a "hello" coming from McCree funny if it is a mockery directed to Hanzo.

"Why don't you two kiss already? It's clear it isn't about me anymore. Or never was." He wanted to sound really pissed, but that only made they smile.

"He is so cute, isn't him?" McCree smirks, but looking at Amélie.

"Absolutely. And he is classy, that's why I love seeing you together, since you're bulky."

"That's a lie. It's because I can do him better than you." He finally did not find something funny.

But she did.

"I almost started appreciating you, cowboy, but I will pass the kiss, still gross."

McCree laughs again and Hanzo still tries to understand how they could be enjoying this.

"I have no doubt you can be a better liar. But I will be content with your husband's kisses for now."

The little funny the archer founds this mockery is the opposite of how much she enjoys.

Her laugh is covered by the noise of the street as they walk, Widowmaker hand in hand with Hanzo while McCree stills leans on his shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

Amélie stops in her tracks.

So softly and soundlessly that none of the other two notice until Hanzo feels her let go of his hand. When he looks back, she’s just standing there, looking fixedly at a billboard on the side of a building.

Hanzo can’t even take his eyes off of her. He’s never seen Amélie that way. Her eyes are showing the most emotion he’s ever seen her express. It’s almost vulnerable, but also breathtakingly beautiful, as if he was discovering a secret, or a hidden treasure. It’s longing, and also crushing, as if  _ feeling _ caused her an unspeakable, overwhelming pain.

Her face is impassive, but her eyes are twinkling. Her breathing as calm as ever, but her fingers are twitching. And Hanzo’s still kinda dizzy from the martinis, so his sight is blurry, the city lights dancing around her, as if she was lighting up. Dazzling.

She looks so beautiful.

She looks so  _ human _ .

When Hanzo finally has in himself to tear his eyes from her and find out what she’s staring at, he understands everything.

The bright screen shows a human female and an omnic graciously dancing, with the most delicate moves, along with the announcement of a session of Swan Lake in the theater.

McCree is looking at her, intrigued, and fascinated. Hanzo wonders if that’s what himself looks like as well. Without saying anything, he touches her hand, making her snap out of her reverie, her face returning to its usual blankness.

They walk in silence from that moment on, side by side, no questions asked, no comments said.

It’s a small but cozy apartment this time. As soon as they cross the doorstep, McCree shrugs his jacket off and throws himself on the couch. 

"Make yourself at home, I guess?" Amélie says, frowning. 

"Haven't told her the news yet?" McCree asks Hanzo, that looks at her with a sheepish smile, while Amélie crosses her arms, waiting. 

"So, I dragged McCree here, which means he will have to stay with us for now." Hanzo explains, all at once, like ripping a band-aid off. 

"Excuse me?" she snaps, looking from one to the other. 

"That's right, sweetheart, we all gonna snuggle up tonight." he teases, sending her a wink and finger pistols. 

"Ugh, cockblock." she grumbles, rolling her eyes. 

"It's not cockblocking if I can participate, sweetie." he proposes, and she scoffs, turning to leave the room. 

"Sweet dreams, McCree. You can take the couch." the sound of her catsuit being unzipped can be heard from the hallway, and McCree smirks. 

"You're dating the devil, man." he pities, and Hanzo sighs. 

"You two gonna be the death of me." Hanzo laments, and goes after Amélie. 

  * ••

Hanzo jerks awake. A nightmare, as usual, but a different one this time. Most days, his subconscious brings back his bloody hands clenching the sword over his brother's corpse. This time, though, it's a pair of lifeless yellow eyes that stare back at him instead. Panting, he turns his head, finding Amélie observing him with her very much alive irises. 

"Did I wake you?" he asks, genuinely concerned. 

"No, not really. I'm not in the mood for sleeping right now." she explains, returning her gaze to the ceiling. 

"Are you in the mood for some tea?" he proposes. Her answer is a smile. 

Chamomile tea is said to be good for having a good night of sleep. So, with a cup in hand each, they sit side by side on the balcony floor, gazing at the stars as they are used to.

"Was the mission ok?" he asks out of concern, despite knowing she couldn't say much about it. 

"You know everything is classified, but I am here, alive, and the mission was completed, so…" she shrugs. "Were you worried?" she's only half teasing. He blushes anyway, not used to caring so dearly for someone, especially a girl. One that was both taller and tougher than himself, on top of everything. Before he can even answer, a head full of smooth brown hair blocks his view.

“What are you two lovebirds doing up? It’s cold.” McCree sits behind them, looking from one to another. He’s all disheveled, blanket around his shoulders. Amélie eyes him, sipping her tea.

“What are you wearing?” Hanzo answers with a question, making a judging face as he analyses his white social shirt outside of the pants with some buttons opened.

“I don’t have some fancy pajamas like you.” He refers to the gray pajamas both of them wear. “But I can join the tea party anyway, right?”

“I see Amélie is really happy you do.” Hanzo teases once she does not let any emotion pass through her face.

“I am absolutely happy.” She ironizes without smiling. “Even because in the middle of this night I’ll get the opportunity of knowing what you saw in this guy here.”

“Uhlala” McCree surprises in a bad French accent that makes they both spit the tea trying to cover the laugh.

“See? He can make us laugh.”

“C’mon, Amélidow. Why are you concerned about it? I said before I can do him better but it was just a mockery.”

“Amelidow?” She smiles “You are engaged to be fool. But no, I’m not concerned, or jealous as I imagine you are supposing. I’m just trying to understand.”

“I swear I’m more interested to know the same about you about him. And him about you too… Yeah, this too.” He looks to Hanzo again and returns to her. “Anyway,  _ Amelidow, _ are you the one responsible for changing him this much?”

“What do you mean?” They both ask at the same time, and smile about it.

“I first met little Shimada just after he discovered his brother is alive. You might not know but I worked with Genji for a long time. He asked me to talk to you. That day there, Hanzo was the dragon, the archer, the unforgiving fighter. Damn, it’s really cold here, where is my hot tea?” He gets up to make one for him too. “I barely can see that Hanzo in this room. If I offered the old one a slice of black forest cake, he would tell me that this kind of food is a distraction for the mind and I  _ should ignore all distractions _ .” He smirks about it “At the second encounter, I find a married Hanzo, with new clothes, who had coffee with me and even kissed me afterwards. And who watched everything? His wife! Such a powerful woman!

“No… Not the wife and husband joke again.” But it is too late, Amélie is already laughing about it again.

“If I’m responsible about it, I know as much as you, Jesse.” She returns to her tea, avoiding to look at Hanzo.

“Ok, now I start wondering why did I bring this asshole with me.” He raises his head to see McCree smiling, coming back with the tea. “You know, I love to be the center of discussion. But that’s it. After knowing that Genji is alive, I started reconsidering many aspects of my life. I cannot say Amélie is the cause, but she surely is helping me to change.”

“And how did you meet each other?” He seats with crossed legs. The transparent cup looking small in his hands.

“Amélie?”

“I met your crush in Hanamura.” She poses her empty cup on the floor and stares him directly in the eyes. “His abilities caught Talon’s eye so I was assigned to approach him and make a proposal, but he didn’t accept.”

“Huh, that sounds very familiar.” He comments, looking pointedly at Hanzo. “But that doesn’t explain why you two are here playing house, looking at the stars and having romantic promenades. C’mon guys, I’m trying to hear a love story here.”

The couple exchange looks at each other, suddenly shy. McCree watches the moment with great interest. 

“He-”

“I-” they start talking at the same time, Hanzo motions for her to continue speaking.

“He called me one day, we met, and talked for an entire afternoon. Then we found out we have some… things in common. And that’s about it, we’ve been trying this ever since. Whatever it is.”

“You are married, we all know it well. And I wanna hear more about this fairytale.” He finishes his tea in a single sip, poses the cup beside and lies leaning his head on Amélie’s legs. “C’mon, more details please.”

Hanzo gazes his eyes instinctively to his move, waiting for the Widowmaker to manifest. However, Amélie stills there. She cannot avoid doing a surprising face, but smiles at him after. Hanzo stills, shocked.

“I wonder when did we get so close, Jesse. Do you want some massage too?” When he opens up his mouth to talk, she just cut him off. “Don’t answer it.  _ D’accord _ , here we go. What do you want to hear, my dear listener? It wasn’t an American love movie, but I can put some details to turn it into a foolish boy-meets-girl history. Are you ready?”

“Please, ma’am.” McCree crosses his arms.

Hanzo only caresses his forehead, staring at the floor.

“The cute part came after that afternoon. I don’t want to take the credits out of his communication abilities, the conversation was just fine, that’s real. You know, he can listen to you, give some opinions, and most importantly, he also has a shattered soul.” Once McCree is not used to her humor, he searches Hanzo’s expressions in order to understand why she would say something that hard in such a casual way. “It’s just a mockery, your fool. Anyway, I gave Hanzo my number after our meeting, in case he’d like to give Talon a chance. Two days after that, he called me back. Not to talk about Talon, but to invite me to dinner. I don’t see people this comfortable with me like he did. I got intrigued by his courage. I also enjoyed the talk, so I thought, ‘why not?’. And then he took me to eat in a restaurant in the middle of a Japanese garden, with tables really distant from one another. He told me about how much he hated that place because it reminds him of his father, he could never eat there. But he wanted to change this memory, and with me he could create a new beginning with great memories.”

“Aw, lovely! I want to spoon him right now.”

“You totally should.”

“I hate you two together. Leave me sitting here.”

“No way, come here and lay yourself down.” Amélie taps her other leg two times.”

“No way, I say.”

“C’mon, Hanzo-kun, we’re waiting for you.” He turns around and opens up his arms.

“C’mon, Hanzo.” Amélie invites again.

And then a very displeased Hanzo slowly moves and lays beside McCree, on Amélie’s legs.

Jesse soon passes his arms below the other’s arm, posing his hands on his lower shoulder.

“Oh my, you were right! He is sooo good to hug. And he smells good too.”

“Actually, I was talking about being spooned by him, but I’m having much more fun to see this right as it is.”

“I told you’d have fun participating.”

“You are the one who didn’t change, Jesse.” Amélie poses her hands on his hair. “I remember I saw you the few times I went to Overwatch base to meet Gérard. You were always this awful flirty cowboy. But it’s only recruiting your little spoon what brings you here?”

And so, she can feel the discomfort of both of them in her legs. Not because she made fun of the cowboy, she is sure, but because she never mentions Gérard, or never told Hanzo how she knew McCree.

“Me too, I remember you surely.” He pulls his arm back and turns to lay on his back, his voice suddenly serious. “And I’m pretty sure you know how Overwatch paints you.”

“Of course, I do. Your commander himself once spoke to me.” She says to the window, dryly. “Jackass Morrison, all shiny in my living room, posing indirect questions about Gérard’s health like we all didn’t know what he was talking about.”

“Now I see why you laugh at my jokes… Jackass?” McCree continues to laugh, but still not really relaxed. “Man was nice, tho.”

“So, I guess you’ll be happy to know he is still alive.”

“I’m what? Jack isn’t dead?” He sits up again.

“None of the three are dead. Neither him, nor Ana, or Gabriel.”

“How could you know? My God, Amélie!”

Hanzo sits himself up too, but he has a strange look on his face as he keeps his silence.

“Gabriel works for Talon now. He is the Reaper as you may have heard about. Pretty annoying to be honest. He bothers me more than he helps me. Do you miss your little boss, Jesse?”

He just gazes his eyes, without words.

“He told me about his partners, Ana and Jack, or Soldier 76, as you might prefer.” She is savoring the look on his face. “It seems your trio didn’t invite you to the party, did they?” She laughs, all alone. “I know it can be really frustrating to search for Ana for as many weeks and cities as you did, but I should say you gave up too early. She was all alone, in Poland the whole time, in a hospital room.”

Hanzo gets up to get some more tea, he even asks if they want more but they just ignore him.

“Oh,  _ mon cher _ Jesse, now you look really sexy with your mouth shut. And this bewildered face. But that’s it. I’m letting you know what happened. I was not supposed to kill Ana, I was neutralizing an Overwatch action, but she was good, she just found me, hit me with a bullet in my helmet, however, I was faster to shoot her back. Even I thought she was dead. But she wasn’t. And knowing that, like Hanzo here, changed everything.” She cannot hide her pleasured face as she stares McCree. “Come, I just got a little needy now, a hug please.”

“Damn, Amélie!! You pushed the fucking limits.” He backs off of the floor. “Give me some time to process all this shit, woman!” Soon he gets up and turns around to the window, looking to anything and everything at the same time.

Hanzo starts laughing behind his cup.

“Do you know any of these people?” She asks quietly.

“Not really.” He shrugs, disinterested.

They stay in silence for a few seconds until she asks in a loud voice:

“ _ D’ailleurs _ , why weren’t you surprised when we first met, in Geneva?”

“I heard about you. People who are trying to restore Overwatch saw you. What I never expected was to see this guy with you.”

“And now we three together are a time bomb.”

“So, it is true? Did you kill Gérard?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,  _ Overwatch agent _ .”

“Be careful, little Shimada. You better sleep with one eye open at night!”

“Shut up!” She says, but not emotionless.

“Shut up you two.” Hanzo intervenes. “I don’t want to see any agent here. Talon, Overwatch… It doesn’t matter! You two are much more than this. Don’t let the people behind these corporations corrupt you. Amélie, you are still trying to recover your true self from before Talon. McCree, I must confess your arm is stylish, but it’s not your original one, anyway… And how Overwatch retributed your sacrifice? Oh, well… It didn’t.” He poses the cup on the floor beside him. “Those organizations are corrupted, we all know it. Why don’t you all let it go?”

They do not say any word.

“ _ Wakatta _ . Let’s investigate. We can simply follow those people, keep one close eye on them. Get some information. Us three. Me, my wife, and my mistress. We’ll travel the world as I’m a dirty rich gangster. Maybe I’ll get more tender to join some club after it, right? We never know…”

They give him a reluctant smile and return their eyes to the floor.

Hanzo likes the silence. He knows they are pondering.

“Look at the sky,” he announces, getting up and pointing to the breaking dawn beginning colors. “let’s get dressed, have some breakfast and get ourselves lost in Manhattan. We ain’t gonna sleep anymore.”

Few minutes later, the trio is downstairs, all in heavy coats, in direction to a Starbucks, in Times Square, as requested by Hanzo. “It’s time for me to decide” he said in the apartment. Now, in the street he completes:

“I also want you to make up, my children.” He was once in the middle but now he slips to Amélie’s side, leaving her on the center. “I honestly prefer you annoying me than this damn silence.”

They do not look at each other, just keep walking.

“C’mon, I wanna see you arm in arm as I’m here.”

“Soon we gonna kill you.” Amélie warns in her answer, but gives her arm to McCree who, for the first time, is expressing less emotion than her.

But it does not take so long for they to get used to each other again. Once they are all warmed up and sitting comfortably on the Starbucks’ couch, savoring their mocaccino, their humors were calmed down. The stunning energy from the square lights must have helped in some way.

The sun is barely out but there are already many people in the place. The best part is that they could get inside easily, since the streets are not full yet.

“Shall we get some tickets for that theater presentation Amélie was looking yesterday?” McCree suggests with malice behind the coffee, but her reaction was not what he expected.

“Can we?” She asks in an innocent way, just like a child who was surprised by one proposition and wanted it so much. “Would you want to watch it?”

Hanzo and McCree exchange surprised stares.

“S-sure” they answer like they were trying to disarm a bomb. They were both expecting her to ask how they know she wanted it, but she does not ask.

“Jesse, me and Hanzo we have a game, did he tell you about it?” She eyes his partner beside her and pulls his shoulder to hold him close, like remembering it made her feel like his accomplice.

“There’re plenty of things Hanzo-Kun didn’t tell me, miss.”

“Basically, we do things to get us closer to our childhood memories, so we can use the feeling,  _ tu vois _ ? And this can bring me feelings more than anything I remember.”

“Oh, I see. What a game. But watching this would make you feel more even than seeing me?”

“Give me a break.”

“See, Hanzo? She rather watch a theater presentation than see you.”

Hanzo straightens in the couch, but she answers for him.

“C’mon, Jesse, leave him alone.”

“Here you go again.” The Japanese gets up, picking up the empty trays. “Let’s get the tickets, then. I’ll put this on the counter.” He walks toward the trash.

“You can thank me later. For suggesting it… Is that hug still up?” He can hear McCree teasing as he leaves.

Cleaning up the trays, he catches himself thinking about this place. “So this is a Starbucks?” He did not know what to expect, it was not bad, but not that good. The best part, however, was that he finally had tried it. And in New York City. Everything has been good, even if so odd too.

He turns back to where they were sitting, feeling glad. And then the odd feeling comes again. McCree and Amélie were hugging, indeed.

He stops walking, reactionless.

Amélie has her back facing Hanzo, and McCree is looking at nothing on the ground, but soon he lifts his eyes, sees him, and smiles like a champion.

They separate and come towards the door.

“Man, you’re insane. Completely out of your mind.” Hanzo says, shaking his head.

“And so are you”. And this time, McCree goes in the middle.

They walk around some more, window shopping for a while. Eventually, some actual shopping too. Hanzo buys a new navy overcoat with gold buttons, very much approved by the other two. Amélie helps McCree choose a new scarf for his already broad collection. A rich purple one. “To remind you of me,” she says cheekily. Hanzo eyes them warily, himself wondering this time, when did they get this close. That’s a good thing, right? 

They stop at a fancy store to help Amélie decide between two dresses she liked, one which she will wear to the theater. She steps out of the fitting room and stands in front of the multiple mirrors, looking at herself first and then turning to face them. McCree has a stupid simulation of a fashion critic analytic face while Hanzo looks at her from head to toe. The first dress is an off shoulder, sleeveless, short, burgundy one. It has a beautiful flared skirt and outlines her curves perfectly, showing off her pale skin. 

"So? What do you think?" she waits. McCree scratches his beard, thinking, and twirls a finger. She rolls her eyes but turns around anyway. 

"I like this one." Hanzo says, simply. 

"Yeah, me too." McCree agrees, nodding. She frowns and puts her hands on her waist. 

"You 'like' this one? As in I'm not the most beautiful woman you've ever seen in your lives? Unacceptable." she marches back through the curtains, and the other two look at each other. 

"She could wear just a blanket and still look good, man." McCree comments, offhandedly.

"She does." Hanzo confirms, with a smirk.

" _ Fuck _ ." McCree curses under his breath. 

They wait a couple seconds before Amélie steps out again. As soon as she does, their jaw drop. This time, it's a pitch black, high neck, sleeveless dress. 

The long skirt opens up in a high slit, showing off her right leg. She looks mysterious and hypnotic. McCree is the first one to recover from his trance.

“Wow, spider lady, you look a million dollars!” she glares at him, and snarls.

“Call me that again and I’ll bite your head off.” He recoils, and Hanzo laughs, muttering “I told you”.

“What do you think?” She asks Hanzo softly, almost bashful.

He gets up and spins her once, then holds her by the waist.

“You  _ are _ the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.” He kisses her then and there, drawing a wolf-whistle from McCree, who’s watching them and smiling.

After paying for the dress, Hanzo insists on buying her a pair of Harry Winston earrings, with tiny dangling diamonds. McCree widens his eyes at the price, as Hanzo hands his card without even blinking. Amélie thanks him with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. 

He also pays for their tickets at the theater, and treats them to gelato afterwards.

“I’m kinda liking to have a sugar daddy.” McCree taunts, enjoying his dulce de leche and walnut gelato. Amélie snorts, nearly spitting her pistachio one, and Hanzo holds his plastic spoon between his teeth to smack him upside the head, making him snicker. 

“Behave, brat.”

“But…” McCree stills, pondering “Please do enlighten me as to  _ why the hell _ you would like to have  _ gelato,  _ of all things, in the middle of the  _ winter _ ?!”

The other two look at him as if he had asked the most stupid question.

“Gelato melts in the summer.” Amélie clarifies as if it was obvious.

“Yeah.” Hanzo agrees. They continue to stare at him until McCree starts frowning, confused. They hold it together for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“You should have seen your face!” she exclaims, smiling. Hanzo has a mocking half-smile.

“We just like it, that’s all.” He explains, shrugging.

“Is the little cowboy cold?” Amélie teases, pitying “You could always hug Hanzo, he’s warm all the time.” 

“Well, I know  _ another _ way we could all warm up.” He grins, maliciously. The couple groans, having had enough of his innuendos. McCree smiles and completes. “A nice and steamy bowl of ramen, obviously!” 

“Oh” Amélie frowns, contemplating “I could actually use a bowl of ramen right now.”

“ _ Now _ we’re speaking my language.” Hanzo agrees. Then, it’s the other two that groan at his stupid joke. 

When they finally return to the apartment, it’s already time to start getting ready for the theater.

Hanzo wears his new overcoat over a black shirt and pants, no tie, just a white silk scarf. He helps McCree with his crimson tie, smoothing the lapels of his black peacoat when he finishes. He’s also wearing dark pants and a black hat with a gold buckle. They sit on the couch, waiting for Amélie. McCree is talking about his favorite restaurants in town when they hear a crescent clatter of heels against the floorboards, before Amélie emerges from the bedroom in a cloud of a perfume that smells like crushed 100 dollar bills. They are left speechless as soon as they see her. The black dress, that looked quite beautiful before, now is complemented perfectly by killer stilettos. Her long hair is coiled up in a perfect bun, a couple of loose strands framing her beautiful face. The earrings gifted by Hanzo give the final touch. 

"What? Cat got your tongues?" she asks, laughing at their mesmerized expressions. 

"Amy baby, you look  _ ravishing _ !" McCree exclaims, standing up and confirming his suspicions; with the heels, she was the same height as him. 

"That's so kind of you, but I would like to ask you to  _ stop butchering  _ my name… Joel." she says everything with a sweet smile, enjoying the way he gasps, putting a hand over his chest. 

"How  _ dare _ you" he looks genuinely offended. Hanzo wonders how she knew what to say to get back at him.

"And lose the hat, it looks stupid." She takes the accessory off and throws it across the room, ignoring his protests in favor of combing his hair with her fingers. "There you are, handsome." She finishes, booping him on the nose. 

"Quit the bickering, let's go or we'll be late." Hanzo interrupts, standing up. 

×××

They attract looks from everyone, humans and omnics alike, as soon as they set foot on the sidewalk outside the theater. Without caring too much, they cross the entrance and go straight to their private box, right by the stage. Soon, the bell rings three times and the lights are turned down, leaving only the stage lighted up. 

The curtains are drawn to reveal an exuberant ballroom, with many attendants in sumptuous ball attire. The whole stage setting consists in a mix of holograms and hard light, making everything impossibly realistic. The contrast between the classic roots of ballet, along with the ancient setting of the story, and the technology employed, gathering humans and omnics in the same place create an incredibly harmonic atmosphere.

Prince Siegfried is a gracious omnic that was specifically projected for perfection in entertainment. His whole body has been designed to achieve the best results in aesthetic aerodynamics. He glides effortlessly through the air, as if floating.

McCree is hypnotized, to say the least, to the point of leaning on the railing of the box in order to not lose any details. Hanzo is watching carefully, both the show and Amélie, who is completely captivated, although not showing any obvious expression. He notices she’s not blinking. 

There’s a short pause between acts I and II in which Amélie is momentarily distracted by a notification on her phone that makes her frown, but ends up ignoring it. 

Act II soon starts and brings the magical encounter between Prince Siegfried and Odette, who is interpreted by a beautiful human woman. A shower of sparkles garnish her transformation from swan into Swan Queen. Each of her steps create ripples on the interactive floor, making everything more authentic. At the end of Odette’s solo, in which she ends in a series of turns, McCree gapes at Amélie, astounded:

“You  _ can  _ do that?!” 

She raises an eyebrow at him.

“Of course, that’s basic stuff.” She shrugs.

They follow the development of the love story, clapping energetically at the end of each part of the performance. 

Between acts two and three, Hanzo glances at Amélie and she gives a brief little smile, soon returning her attention to the stage. He notices she starts to get uneasy as the story goes on. The stage shows the opulent ball where Prince Siegfried is supposed to choose his future wife. He dances with multiple candidates by the request of his mother, but choses none of them as his mind can only think of Odette. At the end of the ball, the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart arrives with his daughter, who is under a spell to resemble Odette. While the prince dances with the one he thinks is the one, and declares eternal love to her, the real Odette observes from the window, crestfallen, watching every chance she had to be happy and free being ripped away from her at that moment. She was then, subject to the vileness of the occultist forever. It’s an intense and powerful moment, that leaves a deep impression in each one of the presents in the audience.

Still, over the loud music, Hanzo hears a sob. About to make fun of McCree for crying over a ballet spectacle, he looks over and finds Amélie biting her lower lip hard, tears streaming down her face, eyes never straying from the stage. He has never seen that before, and thought he wouldn’t, ever. As soon as he holds her hand, she chokes out:

“I- I want to go.” 

With no questions asked, Hanzo stands up and taps McCree, who notices what’s happening and can’t hide his shock, but stays silent. Amélie keeps crying even after they get in the taxi, McCree sitting on the passenger seat to give them some privacy on the back seat, but even with the divider up, he can sometimes hear her sniffling. 

The elevator ride is pretty uncomfortable, with Amélie completely unresponsive beside Hanzo, who’s clearly worried and lost. McCree has no idea what to do, so he just stays quiet. 

At the very moment the apartment door is opened, Amélie loses it. She throws her clutch on the couch, kicks her shoes away and rips the earrings from her earlobes, tossing them far. She undoes her bun, long dark hair cascading on her back. She stops for a second, panting. Hanzo carefully approaches her, and she harshly shoves him against the nearest wall.

“Fuck this sadness out of me, Shimada. Right now.” she growls, completely out of herself. McCree turns back towards the door immediately, retrieving his hat, which Amélie discarded earlier, from the floor.

“I guess that’s my cue to leave” he says to himself. The last thing he sees is Hanzo unzipping the back of her dress as she kisses his neck.


	4. Chapter 4

Amélie sits up on the bed. Beside her, Hanzo is fast asleep. She looks at him and sighs, covering his shoulders with the comforter, hiding the hickeys on his neck and scratch marks on his chest. She puts on her lavender robe and heads to the kitchen. After pouring herself a generous glass of red wine, she goes to the balcony, watching the lights in the city that never sleeps. The memories come with no warning. The stage, the adrenaline of dancing in front of hundreds with no room for mistakes, the hours of preparation. She loved it all. She loved Gérard. Gérard… Thinking about him makes her remember the things McCree asked her the night before. How could she kill her own husband? And the worst part of it was that she couldn’t even find in herself to mourn his death, as Talon’s procedures devoided her of any feelings.

The encounter with Ana stirred something inside of her, and made her want to regain control of her own self. Hanzo has been a great help in this process, but she's worried he might be getting too attached. Their worlds are completely different, Talon could order her to vanish anytime. Despite their opposition, she's glad for McCree's presence. He has been a nice distraction from their personal house of cards. He never looked at her as if he loathed her, his presence never reminded her that in reality she was a terrorist, and an assassin. Not even when he asked if she had actually killed Gérard, it sounded like something he refused to believe in. To him, she was just Amélie, Amelidow, Amy baby, Hanzo's girlfriend, spider wife. 

" _ You can do this?",  _ he asked back in the theater. Indeed. Could she, still? 

She raises on her tiptoes, tentatively, experimenting. The hand that's not holding the glass goes up delicately, forming a half arch above her head, soon bringing it back down to the hips' level, bending her knees at the same time, bare heels touching. 

_ Elevé, plié.  _

One foot to the other knee,  _ passé. _

_ cinq, six, sept, huit. _

A careful  _ arabesque _ , with extra effort to balance the glass on her extended hand.

_ sept, huit.  _ A sip of wine. The glass is empty by now, and she already feels lighter. Amélie sets it on the small table on the corner and returns to her solo act.

Holding onto the rail with the same familiarity she used to have with the  _ barre _ , she closes her eyes, tilting her head back and raising her arm, arching her torso backwards in a beautiful  _ cambré.  _ She smiles, completely immersed in the feeling of letting herself go to the dance.

A  _ click  _ coming from the front door makes her open her eyes again in time to see McCree entering the apartment. His hair all tousled, no hat or tie on sight anymore, but a couple of bruises on his cheek and a cut on his lip that weren’t there before. There are some droplets of drying blood on his shirt and face, which is rumpled and has the first two buttons missing. He seems fine, though, and smiles as soon as he spots her there.

“McCree, what the hell have you got yourself into?!” She blurts. He shrugs, still smiling.

“Well, what’s a cowboy without a good bar fight, huh?”

Amélie rolls her eyes, pulling him by the hand and making him sit on the couch.

“Don’t move or I’ll end you.” She threatens, disappearing for a moment. She returns with a first-aid kit, immediately dousing a cotton ball in antiseptic, cleaning his wounds with no warning.

“Ouch! It stings!” he complains, flinching.

“Stay still, you big baby, you brought this upon yourself. What the hell did you do now?”

“I might or might not have started a conversation with this lovely lady at the bar and her boyfriend, who was in the toilet, might or might not have liked it very much.” he grins, looking very proud. She stops for a moment, staring at him, and shakes her head in disappointment.

“You’re an idiot, McCree.”

“Thanks.”

They stay in silence while Amélie cleans the dry blood on his face, until he says, quietly:

“Isn’t this so ironic?” he half-smiles while she carefully dabs the cut on his lip with the disinfectant.

“What is?” she lowers her hand, grabbing a tube of ointment for the bruises.

“That you’re caring for me, instead of putting a bullet through my brain?” she pushes a finger on his purpling cheekbone, making him whine.

“Shut up before I change my mind.” She applies some pomade on his wounds, but her request doesn’t last long.

“Do you really think you belong in Talon?” He asks seriously, looking her in the eyes. She stops, not expecting such a direct question. It takes a few more seconds for her to answer.

“It’s… the only thing I know now. They made me like this. It’s not like I have any other option.” she laments, looking down.

“But you do. You could… join Overwatch, you know.”

“No.”

“I’m sure doctor Ziegler would help-”

“Jesse, no.” she shakes her head with a pained expression. ”I could never. Not after what happened to Gérard. I just can’t.” she shrugs.

“The offer still stands.”

She smiles gently, shifting her attention to his bloody knuckles and restarting the whole cleaning and treating process.

“Do you like it there? Is it good feeling like a hero, defeating the bad guys?” she questions, nudging him. He scoffs in disdain.

“If there’s something you can’t call me, that thing is a hero.” he starts, and sighs. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the covert operations of Overwatch. I’ve done some things I’m not exactly proud of, but I have no choice other than believing that this time the things I’m doing are for the best.” he flexes his robotic fingers, thoughtfully. 

“Talon could make good use of your skills, too. So… If you ever change your mind about being on the good guys’ side, you’re always welcome.” she offers casually. She unwraps some bandages to cover his injuries and is about to stand up to toss everything she used on the trash, he grabs her gently by her wrists.

“Don’t you think Hanzo is right?” He asks suddenly.

“About?”

“This ‘being agent’ thing. You know I’m not here only to recruit him, and I know the same about you. I might be an intruder in your play house, but you can’t deny we’re getting along quite well. And you can’t pretend what he said about the corruption in these corporations is not true. Hanzo changed so much since you started going out, and for the better. I know how much the situation with Genji fucked him up, because Genji himself was no different. And now he’s… this whole new person, a lot more open and receptive. You  _ need _ each other.” he finishes, taking her hand tenderly. She looks him deep in the eyes for many seconds in silence, ultimately concluding:

“You’re in love with him.”

“So are you.” he counteracts with no hesitation. She shakes her head, lowering her eyes.

“I can’t.” she whispers, sadly.

“You can. You are.” he lifts her face by the chin and keeps his palm against her cheek.

“It will only hurt him, I don’t want to hurt him.”

“You won’t, okay? You won’t.” he encourages, and holds her face with both hands now, feeling her cold skin.

“How can you be so sure of that?” she asks, hesitantly.

“I’ll make sure myself.” he vows, completely serious.

His thumb caresses her cheekbone gingerly, making her smile eventually. They look at each other’s eyes for a long time in silence, studying carefully.

“Amélie?” Hanzo calls from the hallway. They jerk away from each other, Amélie immediately standing to resume the task McCree interrupted earlier.

“I’m here.” She answers, focused on collecting the used cotton balls and wrappers. Hanzo enters the living room, now wearing a pajama shirt and takes a look at McCree on the couch.

“What the fuck happened to you.” he slurs, not even sounding like a question. His hair is falling on his face and he’s never looked so adorable and domestic to the other two.

“He’s stupid, what’s new?” Amélie answers on his behalf, stepping towards the bathroom to dispose the trash on her hands.

“I don’t even want to know.” he waves off, disdainful. “Tell me tomorrow, I’m going back to sleep.” and so he does, stepping back to the bedroom. Amélie goes after him, but stops on the doorframe and looks back at McCree, who’s still on the couch, taking his shoes off.

“Do you need anything else?” She asks, pleasantly surprising him with the overall kindness.

“I don’t think so. Thank you, Amélie.” he smiles openly.

“You’re welcome, Jesse. Sleep well.” 

And finally they were tired enough to sleep for long hours.

The first one to wake up is Hanzo, at the end of the afternoon. He gets off the bed so quietly that Amélie does not even move. Initially, he watches her sleeping, but it does not last too long. He feels like he is invading her privacy. So a coffee would be a better idea. From Starbucks again, why not?

McCree seems to sleep deeply on the couch, but Hanzo does not linger in the living room, either. However, the clumsy way he lays keeps the Japanese laughing about until he is downstairs. Once in the streets, a cold wind blows in his face but it warms his mood. He has this moment to his own, and it made him realize it can be like this anytime he wants, he just has to say and Amélie will understand. McCree probably will, also. With that in mind, he takes the longest path to his destination. Thus, New York City is able to be contemplated, his thoughts can be settled, and, of course, he can raise hypotheses for the Amélie Situation.

It is not only watching other sleeping that put Hanzo in an uncomfortable feeling. Even asking something a little more personal makes him feel the same. And he knows it is, in part, the reason Amélie feels at ease around him. However, not asking things does not mean he does not ponder about everything. Maybe wondering about it, and eventually finding an answer to her discompass would make him feel better, less impotent to help her directly in the problem, and not only serving as a distraction for the consequence, and feeling used after all.

“Two hot mocha, please.” He asks, finally at the crowded place. “No, sorry. Actually I’m picking three.”

And there is McCree. He even laughs remembering him.

Why the hell he keeps following them around? Didn’t he get scared about their mad relationship? Why he didn’t run away yet? Is he there just to keep his eye on the Widowmaker? Is he there to make the leaderless archer an Overwatch archer?

He keeps wondering about it all until the return to the apartment. McCree himself is already up, staring out the window:

“Howdy, spider husband! Did you bring us some coffee?”

Hanzo snorts, turn around, leaves the coffees at the table without saying a word.

_ He has been a good distraction,  _ he thinks,  _ but why he has to be like this? _

“Hanzo, look. Don’t take me seriously, alright? You might think you’re not the spider husband but I can surely say you’re affecting her. In a good way.” He approximates as he speaks in this serious way, as if he is telling him a secret “She can even tell you she’s still the same, or admit her change, but not admit that you are influenciating. In both ways, you better know the truth, and it is what I just said.”

Hanzo leaves the table behind to face McCree. He is not displaying his mockery smile as usual, for now, he reserved him a tender smile. And beside getting some answers for his inner questions, Hanzo can feel the cowboy’s esteem for him in this simple act. He does not say anything as answer, his first impulse is to kiss him.

He passes his arms around McCree and pulls him near before going for an intense kiss that ends a few seconds after it started.

“Ouch!” The American leads his hands to his lip, carefully pressing it. “My mouth is cut, Hanzo-kun!”

“ _ Nantekotta _ ! I forgot you’re a complete dumb-ass.”

“Don’t say it. I just found you like me anyway, and I appreciate it.” The mockery smile is once again there, but it is mixed with some surprise. “Did you have alcohol or something?”

“Don’t you bother me, Jesse McCree. I like you. That’s it.” He regrets saying it the minute the words come out.

“Wooow.” McCree makes an exaggerated surprise face. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t. The dragon has a crush on me. The arch-”

“Just shut the fuck up, you stupid. You are incentivizing me to never say good things to you.”

McCree stops, and then laughs. But stops again.

“You need to relax. C’mon, I can still hug you.” He opens his arms, and for the first time Hanzo does not refuse. They hold each other close, the Japonese’s head in the right height to lean on the other’s shoulder.

“Why are you here, McCree? Don’t talk about that Overwatch shit again” He asks without moving. But McCree only stays still for a few seconds before he backs his head to look the other in the eye.

“I’m enjoying playing house with you.”

“ _ Comme c’est mignon! _ I just came at the right moment to catch you two together!” Amélie arises in the room, then looks at the coffees and goes for it. “The cowboy’s husband brought it for us?” Her robe is opened, and so they can see her lingerie underneath it. “What? How old are you, my teenagers?”

“Y-yes” Hanzo stutters, freeing from the hug.

“Cowboy’s husband?” McCrees laughs about it more than anything as he searches for his drink.

“I hate to be intruding your conversation, but if you are liking playing house, I fear to say that a move out might be needed.” They make curious faces and then she continues. “I received a message from Jesse’s former little boss, Gabe. He said we can’t continue with the mission in Rio cause someone is already keeping an eye there. And by someone he meant Jackass Morrison.”

McCree even chuckles about the names, but it does not keep him from searching for some meaning of the speech in Hanzo’s face, who, by his turn, does not have a clue, either.

“ _ Alors?  _ Didn’t we talk about investigate some leaders? Or former leader?” she snaps her fingers twice, “Up here, stop staring!” She closes her robe. “Now we have Jack’s position, we could go take a look at what he has been doing. Just for fun, you know?”

“So were you pondering about it? You two?” Hanzo does not seem to believe it initially, until he turns his expression to some joy. “That’s awesome, Amélie! Is this guy the ex commander of Overwatch?”

“The one and only.” McCree answers for her. “That’s right, I’m curious about this situation, as well.”

Hanzo reaches Amélie to hold her close in an excited hug. He lifts her up and spins her around. A suspicious smile is her reaction.

“Did you have alcohol or something?” She teases and he immediately puts her down.

“I just asked the same.” McCree seems to be having fun. ”Now go on, tell her that you hate her, or that she’s stupid.”

“You two hurt my feelings. I know I can be cold, but not as you think.”

Amélie and McCree only look at each other, clueless. Then they smirk. Hanzo feels some anger but he works it in a question:

“And so, when should we go? Do you want McCree to go with us, Amélie?”

“ _ Bon _ , we leave whenever you want. And since when my opinion is important about McCree? You brought him here only because you wanted.”

“Oh, well… I’m wondering about the archer’s intentions here. Do you want me to go, Hanzo? Do you feel safer having me and my gun skills around? Do you appreciate me and want me near, is it?” He asks all these questions with malice, not without searching for Amélie’s face in-between.

“Yes, no and yes. Now fuck off and go get ready.” He snorts. “And could you please stop encouraging him, Amélie.”

“ _ En fait _ , I’m here thinking if you won’t say you like me too… I couldn’t help from hearing it before.” She winks.

“Why don’t you say it first?” He raises his eyebrow. She stills.

“Let’s go get ready.”, she says ultimately.

“Damn, I love seeing you two. You deserve yourselves. It’s not for nothing you have ice cream in the winter.” McCree gets closer to them. “By the way, I’m happy I’m here to be the hot chocolate syrup. We’re going to Rio, all three of us, okay? But before, you two are going to kiss, and declare your feelings afterwards, fine?”

Amélie and Hanzo look to McCree with scorn, but then they face each other and their expressions change to concealed desire.

“He just kissed you.  _ Non _ ,  _ merci _ .” She suddenly attests.

McCree soon passes his sleeve roughly on Hanzo lips, making him wince. “I know you don’t really mind it, but there you have it. No more excuses.”

“Okay,  _ c’est vrai _ . But Hanzo never kisses me, it is always me who has to start i-”

So this time he started.

Amélie widens her eyes initially, but it does not take so long for her to close them, and just enjoy it. Not with expectations, mockery or sadness. Only to feel him there. Next to her, physically and mentally, as stated not by her mind, but a third person.

Is it him who is getting to attached or is it her own projections? When did she start thinking about it? Is there actually an attachment? Isn’t it only an emotion she is feeling? Fear?

None of it really matters right now.

But too early, the feeling of having him near vanishes. He finishes the kiss and all that is left to do is open her eyes into his. Brown sparkling irises. But a speechless mouth.

“God damn!” McCree is the one who speaks. “You just said everything. Putting it into words now would be easy.”

They do not look at him. But they still have their hands on each other.

“I love… having you here.” Hanzo asked Amélie to say it first, but it is him who did it. She was mocking his feelings a few minutes ago, but now it is her who must be mocked. She hasn’t been sure about her feelings for a long time, that is right. But she knows that what she feels for him is not neutrality. They are trying to change together. He really is helping her in her change. However, now she just realized that she is in fact helping him too. What he did to McCree, the spin, and now the confession are proofs of it. She can find some inspiration for her own in these acts.

“I certainly am happy to say the same, my husband.” The words come out easier than she thought.

And this time he finds the joke funny.


	5. Chapter 5

_ I’m not looking for a place to settle down  _ is what Hanzo thinks this time when the airplane takes off,  _ it’s only a journey, for now _ .  _ I liked New York. I liked Geneva and the other cities as well. I can return whenever I want. _

Do the flights put him in a bad mood? He rather not think about it, however. He is in the middle seat so he gives one hand to each person on his side, instead.

McCree is the one who is on his left. He raises the sleeve of Hanzo’s pullover until his elbow so he can see the tattoo.

“Wow. It’s great.” He praises as Amélie leans forward to see what he is talking about, rolling her eyes as she discovers. “I wanna see it complete…” He continues raising the sleeve until Hanzo stops him.

“You are going to tear the pullover up. Don’t you know we’re going to the south hemisphere anyway? For you happiness. Exclusively yours.”

“Fine… I can’t wait to see you in a tank top in this summer.”

“Do you?” He asks in a sceptical tone.

“I want it too.” Amélie answers nonchalantly but the whole thing turned out to be a little different from this.

Once they arrive in Brazil, it is already morning. They go to a hotel to change clothes and have breakfast.

Hanzo did not put a tank top, but a sleeveless jacket. McCree on his turn decided to wear no shirt at all. At the breakfast table, he cannot take his eyes away from the tattoo, that is right, but Amélie, in a blue bikini and a flowered towel around her waist, however, keeps constantly turning her attention between her meal and Jesse. Hanzo notices it because, maybe, is on her that his attention is settled on.

“Let me see where it ends.” McCree still talks about the tattoo. Hanzo turns his glance from Amélie to him, briefly smiles, then opens the zipper of the jacket all the way down, separating both sides.”

Amélie looks for some seconds at the dragon’s tail up on his chest, but not for so long.

“That coat you have with the dragon painted on… The guy really did a great job, for sure. But it’s incomparable with this here on your skin. And what a great body, huh?” McCree put his hand on Hanzo’s arms, failing the try to close it around with his fingers.

The look on Amélie’s face right now remembers Hanzo of what he captures from McCree’s eye sometimes when he looks at her. He can notice it while she searches for something special on her yogurt. He is really liking what is happening here. Amélie all stunning wearing less clothes, her exotical skin already more alighten with the heat, contrasting with her  _ cerise _ lips which catches his attention as much as her not so prominent breasts that he adores. On the other side, he is finding curious, to say the least, that McCree is not appreciating her too, instead of this, he is dedicating his time to Hanzo. Since when have turned their priority?

“Your body is on point too, McCree. Is it what you want to hear?” He asks knowing that it is not, but to see Amélie raising her head quickly. When she finds him staring at her, she blushes a little bit, but she does it angrily.

“I’ll just say thank you for now, buddy. I don’t want to incentivize you to not praise me, as you may say.”

But Hanzo is not concerned about it now. The silent game with Amélie is entertaining him more than anything. Mainly now she discovered his intentions.

“No, really. Look at you. Look at these shoulder.” He tightens McCree’s shoulder muscle. Amélie snorts, but she does not take any other action. Neither change her glance.

Jesse, at this point, eyes her, but he is more attired by Hanzo giving him all this attention that he barely notices something.

“Wow! And this chest?”

“Don’t you dare!” She warns, finally taking some action.

“What?” Hanzo pinches a large amount of McCree’s pecs, who finds it funny. “Don’t you wanna check it out, Amélie?” He does a malicious smile.

“I’m fine. And I can do it on you”

Jesse finally sees what is going on. He completely turns to Hanzo to not show his expression to Amélie, and then gazes his eyes in a terrified face like he was saying “Bloody hell”.

“Yes, indeed. But he is hairy”

McCree straightens up on the chair, without knowing what to say. He likes to be flirty mostly to put people in an uncomfortable position. He had already thought about it being an evil behavior, even if it is not like he minded it, but he likes to see it as a way to get to know people deeply, further than the usual social forms. However, it was not what he was just doing with Hanzo and the tattoo. The art of the ink is brilliant. But Amélie was staring at him all that time? He was caught by surprise and it is too late now to know the right thing to say. It is him who is at the uncomfortable position.

Amélie was a little angry, he just noticed. But as soon as she realized McCree is hesitant, she started to find it funny.

So she puts her hand on his chest.

McCree stiffens in the same moment.

Amélie just nasal laughs of it, but Hanzo laughs real hard.

“You were right, just on point.” She returns to her position, but not without giving him a wink. "Okay, let's go? It's my first time here, I wanna take a look at the beach before we start looking for Jack."

"Where he is, after all?" Hanzo asks the same thing McCree would say if he was not disconcerted.

"Probably near the old Vishkar Corporation's building, not so far from here."

"How do you know?"

"Vishkar and Talon have some common interests, but it is not something everybody knows… Once Reaper told me that the mission shouldn't be done for now, I supposed it was because Jack is already keeping in mind the relation between the two corporations, something Reaper doesn't want him to know."

"Very smart of you… But tell me, apart this all… So there are things going on that people are not supposed to know, right?"

"I see your point, Hanzo." She decided to say it before he starts with the corruption talk and all. "To the beach now?"

"Sure, wife." He gives her a daring look before getting up.

But she stills reflexive at the beach. Her glance swaps among the hills, the sea and the famous pattern of Copacabana Beach sidewalk, while thinking.

Hanzo and McCree walk behind her, keeping a little distance. They also contemplate the view, but her graceful walking too. Her spider tattoo almost shining.

"Here comes your opportunity, man." The Japanese warns in low voice. "She started enjoying you."

The other laughs, looking at the sea, then turning his face to him.

"Enjoying? And what did I do? What should I do?"

He looks comfy as ever, but yet so clueless. For McCree, he thinks that Hanzo really has the answer, even why, he find Hanzo so wise, always knowing what to do type.

"I say 'enjoying' cause, you know, when talking about her it’s hard to use ‘like’." He uses a cynical smile. "You don't need to do anything besides being you. She enjoys seeing you with me. You are not an idiot as I like to say… Well, not all the times… but what I mean is that you have such a history behind and you don't act like us. You can be so easy going. You are interested. You are also good-looking. And most of all, you are funny. You can make her laugh."

"Oh, wow. I can't believe I just heard it all from you… Hey, Hanzo, look at me. Don't be shy. I know we don't know each other for so long, but you know I like you, as a friend or… By the way, I can't wait for my lip to recover" he raises his eyebrows making Hanzo blush a little. "Ha-ha you're cute. She loves you. Yes, she does. She will not say it, but I know it. How could I have a chance?"

"Jesse, man, you said you're here cause you like playing house, don't you? We are playing it by three the last days. And, as I know, she likes her ice cream with syrup on it."

But he never gets the chance to talk about it cause Amélie suddenly turns around asking if they want some coconut water.

“It’s hard to believe they still have things like this, isn’t it?” She asks once each of them has a real coconut in hand. They stand at one table, facing the sea.

“It’s hard to believe in all of this. It’s such a beautiful place. And I thought the city was mainly destroyed after the crisis.” The American attests. She tries to do not swap her eyes from his face. He, however, does not bother himself.

“But it still is. In the peripheral areas. Vishkar was here to try to help, but people didn’t want help… Haven’t you heard about that DJ and all?” She explains, not surprising herself when Hanzo shakes his head. “Yes, they eradicated the corporation from here… Are you listening?”

They gaze their eyes.

“Sure… cof… sure!”

“Y-yep” They say at the same time, lifting their eyes to her face.

“ _ Ohla…  _ How old are you, my boys? Most of all, I admire you, Hanzo.” She scratches her forehead. “Why don’t you stare each other?”

They actually turn one to another. McCree even opens Hanzo’s jacket even more, they express something like ‘not bad’, but soon enough they return their glances to her, who rolls her eyes.

“Right… I hope you do are listening ‘cause we need to discuss about tonight.”

Hanzo is listening. But also thinking about how to affect her.

“Sure.”

One idea.

“Great. I was thinking too start tonight. I’m pretty sure if Soldier 76 is here he probably is rounding the building.”

The Japanese nods, then gets closer to McCree and passes his arm around his waist. He looks at Hanzo, strangely, but as Hanzo keeps just staring Amélie, he returns his eyes to her and finally understands. She fumbles with the words, but smiling with disdain.

“Why by night?” Jesse joins the game and passes his arm around Hanzo’s shoulder. “Jack, if it’s really Jack, probably doesn’t feel like he’d be doing something that should be hidden.”

Amélie makes a bored face to Hanzo as she undoes her ponytail, raising her arms which makes them almost forget about each other.

“Looks like our smart cowboy has a great point. We can go there today’s afternoon.” She puts her hair to the side, looking adorable and yet teasing.

“Ouch!” Jesse shouts as Hanzo drops a lot of his coconut water on his stomach. “It’s cold as fuc-”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Jesse!” He sounds ironic, and removes his jacket not so quickly. With it, he wipes the other’s abs, asking for forgiveness again, then facing Amélie naively.

McCree avoids looking at the French, trying to conceal his laugh as he watches the unnecessary efforts Hanzo puts on his wipe work.

“But tell me, what exactly are we going to do? What have you planned?” Once Hanzo is done, Jesse finally eyes her, contracting his stomach.

At this point, Amélie is done with the game.

“Initially, we’ll only watch him. That’s it. Any action for a while. Even because I’d rather talk about it when everybody can concentrate, isn’t better?”

“As you wish.” McCree answers leaning one forearm up at the parasol. So she gets closer. He doesn’t back up. Unlucky him. He can feel her breath against his face when she whispers against his lips:

"I patched you up. I can rip you open again." she smiles sweetly, and walks backwards with a mischievous smile. 

"Race me to the water?" she proposes, not waiting for an answer. 

The remaining two just look at each other and shrug before running after her. Hanzo almost reaches her before her feet touches the water, but McCree could use some workout. The water is refreshing and perfect, the wind blowing but not enough to make too many waves. Amélie is an exceptional swimmer, going in circles around the other two. Whenever she dives and swims back up to the surface, there’s no difference between her and a mermaid, her hair fanning over her shoulders like a blanket. Needless to say, the other two are mesmerized. After watching Hanzo and McCree splashing water at each other like children, or actually, Hanzo trying not to lose patience at McCree splashing water at him, Amélie calls an impromptu meeting right there, argumenting that no one could listen to them there. 

"So," Amélie starts "as I was saying, we'll get to the location and observe the surroundings first. Despite that, we're still on a mission, so be ready for confrontation, you can't be too careful. We'll separate in three different points: McCree watches the front of the building, Hanzo watches the backdoor and I'll be on a higher point and try to get an overview of the place. Anything you see, report to me. Understood?" they blink a couple of times, processing all the information. 

"Why are you the leader of the mission if the idea was mine?" Hanzo pouts and she looks at him blankly. 

"Because while you were too distracted by your cowboy's abs, I was analyzing the topography and making a strategy. Any other questions?"   


"Will you wear one of those sexy catsuits of yours?" McCree asks with a smirk, emboldened by Hanzo's statements earlier.

"Will you ever shut your stupid mouth?" she spits back, splashing water at him. 

"Will you make me?" the cowboy challenges, ignoring Hanzo's wide eyes to look at her defiantly. She scoffs, crossing her arms.

“Really? Is this how you wanna play?” She looks at him unimpressed, but he just keeps that infuriating smile of his. 

She floats towards him, like a siren, with a predatory smile, locking her legs around his waist as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She rakes a fingernail from his neck to the middle of his chest, eyes never leaving his. His smile is amused now, but she can see how his eyes go from her to Hanzo. He doesn’t dare touching her, arms dangling by his body. 

“You know…” she mutters, leaning closer with a hand behind his neck, their torsos almost touching. “Three can play this game.” she closes her lips around his lower one, sucking before biting right where it’s wounded until he moans in pain. “Did I hurt you? Poor little cowboy.” she coos, giving him a butterfly kiss on the corner of his mouth before letting him go and exiting the water, but not without winking at Hanzo’s dumbfounded face. McCree is no different, all wide eyes and open mouth. When he finally recovers, there’s only one thing he manages to say:

“ _ Holy fuck. _ ”

Afterwards, they eat lunch at a seafood restaurant and share a chocolate box for dessert. Amélie’s favorite are the bitter ones. 70% cocoa or more. She can still taste it even now, hours after eating them, while busy observing things with her rifle scope.

Even with Hanzo’s defense, they followed the plan. So now she is on the top of a building near Lapa Arches observing the entourages of the entrance of Vishkar’s closed building. The futuristic place is a high skyscraper displaying blue glasses, many of them crashed, among its white construction vandalized with some graffiti.

From there she cannot see Hanzo on the other side of the building, in another street. But she is not worried about him, she knows he can be a patient sniper too. She worries about Jesse. The unnecessary cowboy as she used to think. But she must confess he turned to be an interesting person. And, also, that she liked what happened in the water. Damn Hanzo for all the teasing. He told her to not encourage McCree but now he did the same thing. Anyway, why she is concerned about it now? It is not important, she must concentrate. It is it what she is worried about, Jesse. She knows he will soon be bored of all the lack of action. And who knows what he will do then.

There are a lot of people passing by. The majority does not even look at the building. She also notes that the omnic presence here is not high. For now, it is not something that will help them cause, this way, it is easier to Jack to be hidden in the crowd. How would he present himself? In summer clothes or with the jacket she always see him using in the pictures? He would be sweating as a pig in this heat.

Ok, he does not seems to be in the bar under her. Neither in the other bar across the street. In the square she can see a few people, and McCree… She can not help laughing about his impatience. He is leaning his head on his mechanical hand, looking to the building but not really seeing it. He is almost always with the flirty smile on his face. He knows it is charmy, indeed. But Amélie likes him better when he is not showing it. Like know. Even if it is a little contradictory, because once he is not smiling, she enjoys finding a new way to make him smirk. A little like a game, make him upset to make him happy again. That is why she got tempted to put her catsuit before the mission. She smiles just in thinking about it. How he would be making jokes about it while starring her, then he would make some cheap joke with Hanzo so she would unwear the catsuit just to piss him off.

By the way, she should provoke Hanzo a little more… Telling him how he found a funny boyfriend to himself. What he would be doing there? She only knows he did not see Jack because he did not send any warning. She is not sure if he is fully concentrated at the mission as he used to be in his meditations, thinking in something else or lamenting about anything of his past. At least he is not there to be pushing McCree to her. Anyway, is not like he needed to. As they decided to stay with the same clothes to camouflage in the crowd, she can use her scope to take a close look at her well presented friend.

The red shorts above the knees is ridiculous. Something she is happy to know Hanzo would never wear. Neither she would wear it. And so the flip flops, also red. But the torso though… Ok, his beauty is not something common, she finally admits it to herself. Or better, he is handsome… Pretty hot, to be honest.

_ Concentrate, Amélie, concentrate.  _ She thinks.

Then Jesse turns his head to the bar, looking for her. When he finally finds her, he nods, leading his hand to the freshly bought straw hat.

“Don’t be a jerk.” She says on the phone.

“I’m bored here,  _ ma chérie _ .”

“ _ Et alors _ ?”

“I wonder if you can’t come here and teach me French… We could start making some tongue exercises.” He looks to her again.

“Stopping spoting me,  _ connard _ . And I can only teach you some lip exercises, if you want.”

“I would  _ aimer _ . I can bear any pain, if you understand.”

“Please, just don’t speak French like this.”

Some silence.

“Shit, I don’t know how to say ‘ok’ in French.”

Even Hanzo who did not say anything yet laugh of it.

“Everything is alright there, Hanzo?”

“Yep.”

And then the silence again. At least on the phone. The music coming from every bar stills. And so the loud conversations in Portuguese and laughs.

The sun is starting to approach the horizon so Amélie allows herself to take a look at the sky for a little. It stills blue, however, with some fat clouds.

They have already spent two hours there.  _ It has been a while since McCree last speak _ , she thinks. But it does not take so long until his speech to come:

“How do you know he will be here?”

“I have already told you he was spotted here, in Rio, yesterday.”

“He could have come here yesterday, and by now it’s possible he’d be in China.”

“Yeah, it’s possible. But I dare he’d be done so quickly with all the Vishkar situation.”

“I’m hungry.”

“You’re a child,  _ mon Dieu _ .”

“How much time we’re going to still here?”

“I don’t know! Three, four hours?”

“ _ Mon Dieu! _ ” He answers and lays on the square bench.

The next hour passes normally.

The sky now all orange, the square all beautiful as the golden hour begins.

Then McCree starts coughing. Initially a little cough. But it gets stronger and stronger until he rolls from the bench directly to the floor.

“Are you okay, Jesse?” Amélie asks worried.

But he does not answers. He stills laying down on the floor, facing the floor.

“Oh my” She says, getting down from the building in a jump.

“What happened?” Hanzo asks this time.

“I don’t know, he is on the floor.” She runs to him, reaching his position in seconds. “Jesse?!” She crouches and turns him around to find him trying to conceal his laugh. But soon he guffaws.

Amélie eyes him with incredulity. But he keeps laughing real hard she even joins him. Hanzo in few seconds comes along with an angry face.

“McCree, what the fuck?!”

“You shoul-” He can not stop guffawing, he even closes his eyes “You should… You should saw- saw- her face.”

“What a big baby” But Hanzo start laughing too, mainly because he started picturing it. He looks to Amélie who laughs but making a disapprovement face.

“I can’t believe this man. What are we going to do with you?” Amélie asks.

But he takes a moment to recover himself. He sits on the bench again before answering:

“Taking me to dinner, please. I’m still hungry and I will die of boredom here.”

“We’ll be eating soon, sweet child of mine, I promise, but I have a better idea for now.” The French annonces. “We could just enter.”

“What?!”

“Why not? Well, I know it ain’t my sort of thing to just get to the objective, but we don’t have anything to lose. It’s unoccupied anyway. And Jack might be inside there all this time, who would know?”

They just look to each other, then shrugs.

For that, they decided to enter by the back door. All three armed, but having their weapons hidden. Amélie went back to the building just to pick her rifle again, so she put it on a bag. McCree has his peacekeeper hidden in an accessory in his belt. Hanzo keeps his bow in a guitar case. The metal backdoor was hardly damaged for what it seems a long time. But it was unlocked by force.

They just enter the building easily.

“You can hold my hand if you want to.” McCree whispers to Hanzo once they see themselves in the wide place, all illuminated by the filtered gold light of the sun by the glasses on the upper levels. They do not spot anybody, just a lot of dust and broken things everywhere.

“Yes, I wanna.” Hanzo whispers back which makes him laugh.

“I was expecting you to say ‘quiet!’”.

“Quiet!” Amélie says quietly but imperatively. “Let’s go to the underground.”

“Aren’t we intended to go somewhere important here?” Hanzo asks.

“ _ Ouais. _ And this important place is the president office. But it’s in the underground. For safety, you know? Jack must be looking for evidences of Talon in some document.”

“Then why Talon decided to cancel its coming here?”

“Use your brain, my dear. If Talon come here, it would only confirm its participation. Now, shall we?”

They took the stair in half moon format beside what was the reception desk. It leads to a long and dark corridor, all in white marble, with symmetrical disposition of doors all along. The doors were in glass but now only its shards can be testify. At the end of the corridor, it is located the biggest door, also shattered, with the Vishkar symbol draw in gold above, but graffitied now. There is a light coming from this room.

They approach the last door, slowly. Feet after feet. Taking a look at each door on the way. Every room has the same scenario: broken furniture and shredded paper everywhere. The only thing they can identify with the low light.

Amélie points toward one of them, making signal to them to enter.

“Okay…” she whispers really quietly. “He is there. It must be him. And right now I realize we could talk to him. Not we, but Hanzo.” He gazes, but she explains: “He doesn’t know you, but he knows me and, well, he doesn’t appreciate me very much. And Jesse, well, he worked with his enemy, he can think Jesse is here to kill him.”

“But what I’ll talk to him? Invite him to have tea with us tonight?”

McCree smirks.

“Invite him to have some black forest cake.”

“You two together share one neuron.” Amélie is not laughing about it now, but she did find it funny. “You just need to present yourself, it will be enough to you to get all information you want. Trust me.”

“And how I will know if the person there is him?”

“Hanzo, damn! Don’t you ever saw a picture of the Overwatch leader?”

“I might saw… But I might forgot, sorry!”

She scorns.

“He has gray hair, scars on his face… But it might be covered with a mask that has red eyes, like a glass. He might be wearing a jacket with the number 76 on it. I’m pretty sure he is.”

“Okay…”

“Okay, now go there and check it out. We’ll be right here, on the corridor, for whatever you might need.”

Hanzo nods. He breathes deeply and heads back to the corridor, walking comfy to its ends, from where the steady light comes.

He plans in his head how the discussion might happen, fearing what he will find in the room. It can be somebody he can not defeat in a fight, it can be a group of people wanting some confusion, it can be only a cat…

Even being always concerned about his family and clan, it was impossible to grow up without hearing about Overwatch. Is he going to meet the guy who commanded it? The guy who Genji worked for?

Crossing the door, he found out the answer for these questions. Right in front of him, next to what looks like it was the window, it is the 76 jacket. The red tissue alight by the virtual landscape of the Sugar Loaf mountain on the window.

He is croach over some still whole papers, he has only a pulse rifle around, but it is leaning on the window, not so near to him.

Hanzo closes his eyes tightly. Breathes again, then speaks, expecting the impulsive reaction:

“Commander?”

And the reaction was pretty close to what he expected. Jack got up in a jump, reaching the gun in few seconds and pointing it at him. But what happened next he did not predicted.

“Hanzo?!” He lowers the gun. He is wearing the mask Amélie mentioned. Even if it covers all his face, his voice stills clear.

“Do you know me?” His impression is clear.

“We never got to be presented, Shimada. But I do know you. You’re Genji’s brother. I kept my eye on you. Why are you here?” Jack sounds surprised, even if behind it Hanzo could feel his tiredness. But Hanzo feels embarrassed remembering what he is wearing, the shorts and open jacket.

“Actually, I could ask you the same, commander.”

“Don’t call me that. I didn’t even was your commander. I’m just a soldier right now.” He stills holds his rifle.

“You’re Morrison, right? Why do you have to present yourself elseway?”

“Because I’m on duty. That’s what I am.”

“And that’s why I’m here right now. My brother found me. He asked me to join Overwatch, he said it’s rising once again.”  


“Overwatch is rising again?” He seems really confused. “Why? W-who? How can it be possible? I don’t see any point on it.”

“I’m sorry to say I don’t have the answers for your questions, Morrison. But I would like to know it too. And I must say that I’m surprised you neither are the person behind it nor you didn’t know it.” Hanzo approximates. “Put this thing down, I’m not here to hurt you.”

Jack looks to his rifle and settle it on the table.

“For whoever is behind this, I wish good luck.” He lowers his voice. “But I’m here not to rise Overwatch again… It was knocked down by some people, I want to make it come public… and make them pay for it.” He seems to speak more to himself than to Hanzo.

“But why? Why don’t you just live your life?”

“This is my life, Shimada.”

“I know what you mean. I really do. But you don’t need to live carrying this weight only you are putting on yourself.”

He does not answer, only leans back on the table.

“Jack, you’re in Rio de Janeiro. Go to the beach. Drink some caipirinha. The world gave up on you. You don’t need to fight back to receive this impossible love. Enjoy the life I imagine Overwatch took away from you. Don’t let it continue even now it’s over.”

“Why are you here, Hanzo?” He had his head down, but now he raises it. “You said it was because you wanted to join, but it ain’t what I see.”

“I was once just like what you are now, attached to the clan I’m from. Now that I’m moving on, I’m finding a better life for me. And then, one day, one of your ex agent came to me to ask me if I wanted to join the corporation. I was afraid of all my devotion to come back again. So I did not accept it, neither declined it. Before making any decision I would like to know if having all that devotion would be a great thing. If it would be worthwhile. Having a possibility to speak to the ex commander of the whole thing was an exceptional opportunity. I needed to come here, but I’m afraid to say that you are proving me right, that I’m better as I am.

“Oh, Hanzo…” But he does not say anything else.

Hanzo starts thinking he was too tough. He is trying to find something else to say.

Luckly, the mainly inopportune McCree decides to enter the room.

“Howdy, Jack!” He tries to sound as casual as ever, but his voice has a weight and he speaks lower than normally he does. “I’m the ex agent he said, remember me?”

Soldier 76 lifts his head again and goes in direction to Jesse, who receives him in a tight hug.

Once they separate, Jack removes the mask, revealing his scarred face covered in tears.


	6. Chapter 6

Amélie watches the scene from her hideout on the hallway with a conflicted heart. Seeing Morrison makes her think of things she didn’t want to think about at the moment, so she just straightens herself and says through the transmitter:

“I’ll cover from outside.” 

She finds a place that probably used to be a garden, with all sorts of plants making the surrounding look strangely eerie, as if Mother Nature had reclaimed that area, vines engulfing the old concrete benches and a deactivated fountain that had some sort of sculpture on top of it that has long been destroyed, leaving behind only the imagination of what that could have been once. Much like that building and what it used to represent.

She spreads her sarong on the grass and sits on it, hugging her knees as she rests her chin on them. She can still hear the conversation inside, so she just takes out the earpiece and after a couple of minutes where nothing happens, she just lies down, waiting. Letting her eyes close for a moment, she just listens. There’s and owl somewhere, and the distant buzz of a cicada announcing nighttime. The quiet crunch of leaves under feet makes her open her eyes to the upside down image of Hanzo standing by her head.

“Thought you were going to cover?” he jokes, and she smiles.

“You’re big boys, you can take care of yourselves. What’s happening inside there? Where’s Jesse?” 

“It seemed like a conversation I wouldn’t like to intrude, so I just left them there. May I keep you company on this lovely night, my dear wife?” He lowers on one knee and she just extend her arms, inviting him to lay down with her. Side by side, she waits until he’s comfortable and lays with her head on his chest. From this angle, she can’t see his affectionate smile, but enjoys the way he holds her close, with a hand on her waist. He’s warm, always warm, and she would never admit out loud, but she was really starting to like the idea of staying right there.

“He’s just something else, isn’t he?” Hanzo interrupts her thoughts, making her look up. 

“What the hell did you see in him?” She chuckles.

“Oh miss, at this point I could actually ask you the same.” He teases.

“Oh my gosh Shimada, shut up!” she slaps his shoulder but hides her face on his chest anyway, laughing. They lay there together in silence for a while, just enjoying the breeze and each other’s presence.

“That looks nice! Can I join the cuddle fest?” McCree says from a distance, walking towards them. Amélie avoids looking at him and thinks very seriously about strangling Hanzo in his sleep when he extends an arm to welcome the other in a hug on his other side. The American goes even further and throws a leg over his hips, clinging onto him like a koala. 

“Oh, this  _ is  _ nice.” McCree sighs, rubbing his face on Hanzo’s chest like a cat. 

“What happened in there? Where’s Morrison?” Hanzo asks, serious.

“He’s gone. He has some other business to attend to, I don’t know. It was nice seeing him again, tho.”

“So, is that it? That’s what we came here for?” Amélie asks, bored. “A reunion and cuddles?” 

“You didn’t let me finish, cherry pie. I hope none of you get seasick, because we’re going on a cruise tomorrow morning. Our next source is there.”

Amélie sits up.

“What do you mean?” 

“We need to find an architech that works for Vishkar. Her name is Satya and this will be our chance to speak to her without the eyes of the company around. I believe she has some interesting stories to tell us.” 

“Wow Jesse, I’m impressed.” Amélie praise-mocks. He smiles proudly.

“At your service, milady. Do I deserve another kiss?” 

“Only if it makes you shut the hell up forever.” She gets up and stretches, nudging them with her foot. “Let’s go, I’m tired of staying here, my hair is gross and I’m craving chicken croquettes.

The exhaustion sets in as soon as they arrive at the hotel after buying the croquettes from a nice lady’s establishment, and eating them on the way.

McCree is very happy and grateful to get a huge and comfortable bed to himself, promptly flopping on top of it. Hanzo falls asleep even before Amélie exits the shower; a hair that long takes a lot of time to be washed. She stays up a little longer, though, gently drying and combing her long strands. She finally falls asleep while reading some book she found in the room, the object rested against her chest and the light of the bedside lamp still on.

On the next morning, they almost miss breakfast, but still get to enjoy some juice, tropical fruits and exquisite pastries. Despite that, they still get iced coffee on the way to the port.

“Where are we going, by the way?” Amélie asks, putting on her sunglasses.

“Iceland, for my great despair.” McCree laments, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Oh, don’t worry, little friend.” She taps his shoulder comfortingly, “Hanzo will be there to warm you up.”

An elegant omnic welcomes them at the commercial office, offering them drinks and snacks that only McCree accepts and is side-eyed by the other two. 

“Welcome to Cennet Cruises. How can I help you today?”

“We would like to book rooms in the Icelandic.” It’s Hanzo who leads the conversation.

“Oh.” the robotic features become worried, “I’m afraid we don’t have any vacancies, as this ship departs in an hour. Would you be interested in any other itinerary, sir?”

Hanzo stares for a second and sighs. Then, he leans over the table, taking his wallet and putting a thick wad of cash on the table.

“What do I have to do to get a room around here?” He mutters with a threatening tone. The omnic looks as if they would be cold sweating if they could. 

“Just a second, sir.” they enter a door behind the desk and Hanzo sits back, waiting. McCree has been watching with wide eyes.

“Wow, you look scary.” he stage-whispers, receiving a smirk in return. The omnic soon returns and fiddles with the screen on the table, looking at some tables and data. They drag and drop, from here to there, and finish with the press of a button before speaking.

“Well, sir. I did what I could to grant you three vacancies for this itinerary. But…” they hesitate for a moment.

“But?”

“They are in the same cabin.” Hanzo is about to protest when they start speaking again, “However! It’s a very spacious room, one of our best.” They put a brochure with pictures on the table. “The cabin admits up to three passengers, has a beautiful ocean view and includes various services and amenities such as a private balcony with a whirlpool, personal telescope, living room and the most elegant and up-to-date architecture planned for your comfort.” they finish with a frozen expression after the scripted speech. 

Hanzo looks at the other two, who shrug as if saying “what other option do we have?”

They leave the room with three itineraries with their names on each one, all courtesy of Hanzo.

“Ok, I have to say that what you did back there was really hot and I am enjoying very much to be your sugar baby.” McCree hugs his right arm, straining his neck to rest on his shoulder. He hears Hanzo scoffing and Amélie giggles.

“Will you call me daddy?” Hanzo teases with a smirk. McCree lets go of him immediately, putting a hand over his heart.

“Shimada, you’re kinkier than I thought, I was not expecting that.” He says in awe, and chokes when Amélie winks at him provocatively with a thumbs up, confirming.

Their luggage is already waiting for them when they enter the “royal loft”, as the cabin was called. To get there, they had an exclusively entrance to the enormous white and gold ship. The place was huge for a ship cabin, indeed, counting inclusively with a second floor, where the main bedroom and bathroom were located. There was a huge piano near the entrance hall, that none of them knew how to play, by the way. 

“What? But you look so much like someone who would play the piano!” McCree arguments, taking Amélie’s hand to look at her long fingers with perfectly manicured nails. “Look at these pianist fingers!” She slaps his hand away, rolling her eyes.

“I took ballet classes, not piano, dumbass.” 

“Oh, right.” He remembers something, “I saw you on the balcony the other day. Nice flexibility.” he winks with a wide smile but she just ignores him. Even though the place was sizeable, she sighs at the idea of sharing the space with him for the next few days. They get to know the accommodation and put their things away before deciding where to go first.

“I wanna go to the deck and enjoy the last moments of sun before my ass freezes and falls off.” McCree determines loudly, making the other two frown at him.

“Ok, drama queen.” Amélie leafs through the pages of the event schedule, “Oh, there’s going to be a pool party this evening!” she says excitedly.

“I thought we were here to talk to our source?” Hanzo eyes them warily. 

“ _ Hhhhrrr, quel rabat-joie!” _ she grumbles, standing up. “I’ll change and we can go.”

They wear comfortable summer clothes but instead of the flowery bikini, Amélie wears shorts and a loose tank top where her sunglasses are hooked. McCree, once more doesn’t bother wearing a shirt, wearing bright orange shorts as hideous as the last one. Hanzo looks more classy in a short sleeved shirt and khaki shorts.

Eventually, they reach a common ground and decide to have lunch before anything and order it from room service, too lazy to go out and eat among other people in the dining hall with all the conversation noises and the sound of silverware against plates.

The trio reaches the deck in the afternoon. The wood floored place looking almost entirely white with all the lightness from the summer sun. Some pools are covered but most of them are exposed to all the heat, and the chairs and sun loungers as well.

After discussing where they would seat, they end picking a table half under shadows half under sunlight, so Amélie and Hanzo could be at the first whereas McCree lays all shiny on a chair at the second.

“Alright, how does this Satya look like?” Amélie asks once they are accommodated.

“Her name is Satya Vaswani but Vishkar calls her Symmetra. She is from India, I’ve searched it online… She has dark hair Take a look…” McCree shows the picture as he keeps talking. “A dark long hair. Her fac-”

“Like that girl over there?” Hanzo points at a woman sitting upright with crossed legs who reads a book with a serious face. She has long, straight, silky-looking black hair, Indian features and a beautiful bronze skin color. 

“Yes, just like her.” McCree puts his hands behind his head, leaning on them. “If it isn’t her.”

“It is her!” Amélie states, impressed, looking back and forth from the picture to the woman.

“There she is. Easier than ever.” Hanzo crosses his legs. “She is pretty, too.”

Amélie makes a face at him, but soon McCree complements from her other side: “Pretty hot. Indeed.”

They look at each other over Amélie with approval. She decides to say nothing, discreetly twirling a strand of her own dark long hair around her index finger, which makes them smirk.

“Alright, I’ll talk to her.” Hanzo gets up.

“What?” Amélie reacts surprised.

“Why not? Why would we wait for it?”

“We can get more information waiting, see what she is doing…” she reasons, lowering her voice.

“Like with Soldier 76? Spend hours for nothing? No, I’d rather talk right now. We don’t even know when we’ll find her again.”

So he heads up towards the lady in blue swimsuit, wondering how many more encounters he would have while wearing shorts. He approaches her but she does not rise her eyes from the book. The archer kinda likes it, so he sits down on the edge of the chair on the other side of the table next to her.

“Excuse me, are you miss Symmetra? May I have a second with you?”

She side-eyes him, studying his whole face and body before answering: “Yes, that would be me.” So she finally turns to him, still holding the book. “Satya, actually. What do you need?”

“I’m Hanzo Shimada, and I’ve heard about you.” He says his surname to see if she might have heard about him too, but she does not demonstrate any reaction. She keeps looking at the blue horizon, instead. He finds it interesting, studying her side physiognomy while continuing: “What brings me here is that I’m curious about Vishkar Corporation. Not the things we can read online, but about what their employees think about it, you see?” He leans back on the chair as she continues to stare at the horizon.

“I see your point, mr… Hanzo, right? I like your accent. Well, I can say it is a great opportunity to work there.” She now closes the book and drums her fingers against the cover, looking at it.

The Japanese laughs, not expecting the compliment.

“Your accent is beautiful too. But tell me more about this opportunity. What do you expect to reach with your work?”

“It is all about helping to build a better world. Vishkar corporation helps destroyed and low structured places to turn into a more ordered and agreeable place for people to live in. Those people there you were talking to are your friends?”

Hanzo expected her to make questions about how he knew her, or why he wanted to know it all. But he never expected this question, and never thought she has been looking at them three before.

“Y-yes, they’re my… friends.” Now it’s him who stare the horizon, searching for the answer, also because he does not have any idea of what they three are. She studies him as he does it.

“Don’t you want to invite them to join our conversation? They don’t seem to be happy watching us from there.”

He turns his head briefly, catching a quick glance of both looking directly at him. McCree looks bored with his chin resting on his palm and Amélie has her arms crossed. The sunglasses hide her eyes but there’s a curl on the side of her mouth that says a lot. There's a beer and a coconut on the table, but neither seem very interesting to them. 

“No, they’re fine… We can discuss together soon, don’t worry about them now.” Hanzo waves to them, they wave back unenthusiastically and quickly eye somewhere else.

“Are they dating?” She asks, looking at Hanzo until he looks her back.

“I don’t know.” He laughs.

“How don’t you know? Aren’t they your friends?”

“It’s not that easy… See, she is my girlfriend. He is a friend I kiss sometimes. That’s it. But now, what they two are to each other I don’t know yet.”

She smiles at it like she was trying to conceal a laugh.

“Now you’re trying to put them to kiss?” Her lips twitch after saying it.

He laughs back, incentivizing her to do the same.

“What a story you share.”

“You don’t know nothing yet, Satya!” Hanzo straightens on the chair, suddenly more excited. “Don’t you know them? Or recognize?”

“No…” She says promptly, without changing her glance from the slide on the pool to them.

“There you have one Overwatch and one Talon agent.”

“It is an interesting story, as I said, indeed. But now you want some Vishkar participation in it all?” She turns to him and smiles with some disdain. He finds it really funny.

“Well, it’s up to you…” He raises his eyebrow but she already stopped smiling at it. He resists looking at her legs when the woman uncrosses them, only to cross them again, to the opposite side. “As you can see, what this whole story brings within is the pressure to pick a side, you see? And there you are, a dedicated and prestigious architech in one of the biggest corporations of the planet. You can give me a light in all this positioning thing.”

“Who are you, Hanzo?” Her voice tone is serious now. “You don’t need to answer me. But whoever you are, you are more than to who you work for. I’m not just a Vishkar architech.”

“But why are you here, in Rio?”

“Exactly because of it. Do you wanna eat something?” She starts leafing through the menu. “If I was only a Vishkar architech, I’d be in another place, doing my work. But I told you that it is all about building a better world. I can’t understand why people from Rio couldn’t see that, I keep coming back here to understand their opinion by living in the city like I was part of it.”

She is being so direct all the time that he feels comfortable to ask: “If you intend to live like people from Rio, then why are you in a cruiser? And yes, thank you, let’s share a piece of cake?”

“No, no… I’m on vacation right now. That’s why I have time to go to Rio as I said, but also to come here. As I’m always stressed looking for some work to do, I decided this time to try to relax. Let’s see if it will last all the trip long.”

“I could never relate more. I’m also on vacation trying to do the same… What are you reading, by the way?” He lowers his head looking at the book with an empty cover.

She smiles with some guilt.

“It’s about architechnology…” She decides it is the best time to order the cake.

“You’re sabotaging your own vacation, you know it, right?” He smiles.

“Tsk tsk, yeah…”

“Why don’t you hang out with us a little? Tonight, there will be a pool party, do you know?”

“Thank you, I’ll think about it and let you know.”

“I’ll be waiting. But lastly, one more question.” She doesn’t say anything so he takes it as an encouragement. “Do you believe Vishkar share the same ideals with you?”

She takes a deep breath and purses her lips for a moment, thinking.

“Yes.”

Amélie watches from afar, munching on the complimentary peanuts as if they offended her. Jesse, on the other hand, already has a freezing cold beer on his hand and is lazing under the sun. He takes a look at her and snaps his fingers.

“Hey! Cheer up, darling! Want me to get you a glass of wine?” he offers, getting the service tablet from the table.

“Absinthe.” She answers plainly, never looking away, and he eyes her, weirded out.

“Ummm…” he hesitates, cautious, “I’ll order you some coconut water.”

“Thanks Jesse, you’re so sweet.” she answers monotonously, completely devoid of any emotion in her voice.

“Sooooo…” he starts, clearly trying to distract her. “Have you seen anyth-”

“What are they laughing about?” She interrupts, with a displeased face, eyeing the conversation across the deck. McCree turns his head and finds Hanzo and the architech, indeed, openly laughing. “Weren’t we here on a mission and not to have fun?” she huffs, not looking away.

Unexpectedly, Amélie's eyes, even if hidden by the shades, meet the architech's, who says a couple of words to Hanzo, making him look back at them and wave. They wave back unenthusiastically before Hanzo turns back to the conversation.

Amélie busies herself with the remaining coconut water while she observes McCree on the opposite side of the table, drinking his beer leisurely, head tilted back and eyes closed to enjoy the most out of the sunlight. Her eyes travel all across his face and what she can see of his body.

_ He’s okay, I guess,  _ she thinks, watching the way his hair sways with the wind,  _ he’s funny? But also pretty annoying.  _ She has been getting somewhat bothered with the way he’s been affecting her, but the other way around doesn’t seem to happen. He seems way more interested in Hanzo. He opens his eyes as if he felt her eyes on him and smiles when he sees her.

“Enjoying the view?” it draws an eye roll from her immediately.

“I do need a drink.” she sighs, taking the tablet and ordering herself a kir royale. “And you are going to broil under this sun”

“Not if you help me put on sunscreen.” she doesn’t laugh, and he frowns, leaning forward. “Amélie, my dear, what bothers you?”

“ _ You _ bother me.” he frowns deeper, crossing his arms.

“You seen very keen on hurtin-”

“Hey look, your husband seems to have followed your advice!” she exclaims, and McCree whips his head back to see Hanzo and Satya being served two pieces of chocolate cake; a black forest one, if the cherry on top is anything to go by.

“Oh.” It’s his turn to become serious. She’s delighted by his reaction, taking a sip of her drink as soon as it is put in front of her. The bubbles in the champagne make her tongue tingle pleasingly. “Huh.” he adds, turning back to face her. “I hope he returns with anything useful at least.” 

They exchange glances silently, almost uncomfortably. Hanzo and Satya are chatting amicably, with an unusual familiarity, as if they were old friends. She’s smiling and listening attentively to him.

“I mean…” Amélie starts, hesitantly, “He does know how to lead a conversation and talk about interesting stuff…” She trails off, not knowing what else to say. McCree stares at her silently again, but this time it’s creating an awkward atmosphere between them. She takes off her sunglasses, “You were talking about sunscreen?” 

And soon she finds herself pouring lotion on McCree’s back, who’s sitting on a lounger in front of her chair. She kneads his shoulders and drags her open palms all over his back and biceps, resisting the urge to run her fingers through his hair. She remembers it being so smooth from the night when he put his head on her thigh on the balcony. 

“Thanks, darling.” He smiles and takes the bottle from her hands. He gets up and sits under the shadows on the chair beside her, “Soooo, tell me. What do you like the most about him?” 

She scrunches up her nose.

“What kind of question is this?”

“Oh c’mon Am, gimme some girl talk, let’s talk about boys and get to know each other better.” He says in a girly pitch, making her laugh.

“Okay, whatever. What was the question again? What do I like about him…" she sighs, pensive. She thinks for many seconds before answering,"He's calm and quiet. He's polite and never intrusive. Relatable, we have many things in common and he's a nice company to have around. That's it, I think."

"That's all? So you're telling me you're not interested in him because of his strong arms, chiseled abs and thick thighs, or the sexy beard and that bad boy aura? Don't be lame, give me the dirty details." he provokes comically. 

"Oh, so  _ that's  _ what you want to talk about, you creepy pervert." her smile becomes dangerous, " _ Trés bien.  _ You see, I taught him everything he knows about this… subject. He's very… dedicated. And attentive." The tip of her tongue peeks out, rubbing against her canines for a second and she licks her lips before completing, "There's this thing he does with his hi-" 

"What are we talking about, my children?" they only notice Hanzo is back when he's already seated on the chair McCree was previously. 

"N-nothing important." Amélie wants to punch herself for stuttering like a stupid schoolgirl.

"Oh, you know, just girl stuff." the annoying Valley accent is back again and he shrugs when Hanzo looks at them suspiciously.

"So, how was the conversation? Anything interesting?" Amélie asks, changing the subject. 

"She's a very nice, very intelligent, very interesting woman. I invited her to join us at the pool party-" 

"I thought we weren't going?" Amélie crosses her arms. 

"I have already made first contact so I guess we're entitled to have some fun too."

“If we are going so I'll need some rest.”

×××

Later that night, once they step into the party, all three realize the event is not what they were expecting. Actually, Hanzo did not know what to expect at all, but Amélie was ready for a sophisticated occasion whereas McCree hoped for great food disposed in a buffet.

There is food, indeed, but it is not what is entertaining the guests for sure. The place is now looking exactly like a nightclub, with low light and really loud music popping out of the speakers everywhere, coming up from a DJ next to the pool where everybody dances like crazy. The party barely begun and there is already a lot of people going crazy in the sliders or throwing up in the corners.

They look at each other and start laughing.

“Oh my. What are we doing here?” Hanzo is the first to talk. Or better, to scream to be heard.

“Can we just leave?” Amélie makes her usual  _ blasé  _ face.

They look at McCree who is smiling in excitement.

“It’ll be interesting to see you there. By the way, it seems that I took Satya for another type of person. She’s here, we’re staying.”

Hanzo soon regretted inviting her to the party as they find a path through the crowd to stand in a less tumultuous corner.

“She texted me to find her on the red bar.” He screams again. The other two nod.

In order to get there, they need to pass through a relatively long but narrow corridor, all lit by neon lights, now in pink, and as full as possible with people.

Jesse is still shirtless and as he goes opening their way in the crowd, he gets hands passing through his body. He starts laughing about it without caring, but Hanzo passes Amélie who was in the middle to hold his arm with a serious face.

“What? It’s okay.” McCree keeps finding it funny. “Uuh, or are you jealous?”

“I want to get out of this corridor as soon as possible, but you are making it last longer, just go.”

So he turns back, facing Hanzo who stumbles on him as he did not expect the sudden movement.

“What?” Shimada asks, somewhat mad.

“Just provoking you.” He takes a look at his face than returns his way.

Hanzo looks back to share his madness with Amélie but she was smiling.

“What did I do to deserve you?”

But they arrive at the end of the corridor and he never gets to know the answer.

At the bar, they spot Satya sitting at the few seats beside it, having a red drink, just like the aesthetics of the place. She has changed her blue swimsuit to a white more sophisticated one, matching colors with her glasses.

The place is also full, however the music there is less loud, making possible to discuss only by shouting, not necessarily directly on the listener’s ear.

“Satya.” The Japanese salutes her, who says his name back, still sitting.

“Satya, hello” Amélie waves her hand.

“Howdy, my dear!” McCree touches his straw hat.

“Namaste. I’m glad we’re meeting each other.” Her posture is perfectly upright, she once again has her legs crossed turning the way she sips her drink in something even more gracious. “Hanzo told me about you.”

“I suppose you were too busy discussing about all the great things about us, am I right?” McCree activates his casual flirty mode.

Hanzo shakes his head in disagreement and shame, but she seems to laugh of Jesse.

“Not really, he was confessing all of his love for you two. It was heart touching.” She shows her disdain smile once again.

Amélie and McCree exchange looks, laughing.

“You just won McCree to yourself with this.” Amélie announces to her, who receives it as a compliment.

“Why does everyone treat me like this?” Hanzo laments, getting on the line to the bar. “Do you want something, my ungrateful children?… No, let it be, you are not in position to choose anything.”

The other three stay together, searching for some subject to talk about. But it is Satya the first one to talk.

“And so, I loved the story Hanzo told me about you… I can’t remember when you started dating, however.”

Jesse gazes in a pleasant surprise, smirking. He approaches Amélie and tries to pass his arms around her waist.

“Don’t!” She says, tapping his hand but he does it anyway.

“We just started, Satya.” He already understood what she is trying to do here, so he feels he needs to complement: “I gotta say I already like you,  _ Sammetya. _ And you also got an arm like mine.” He is talking about her left arm, all recovered in a futuristic white material from fingers to shoulder.

Amélie, displeased, but masking it as she knows well, decides, however, to pass her arms around McCree waist too, laying her head on his shoulder.

“Can you do this?” Satya asks as she poses her drink on the counter behind her. She turns to them again, and, with both hands, makes a beautiful movement that creates a geometric blue flower from her mechanical hand. She offers the flower to him.

They open mouthed.

“This is wonderful, Satya!” Amélie praises, having four things passing as fast as a lighting in her head. What she just did itself, how Talon could use it and understanding why Talon and Vishkar are related, and also McCree who probably is wondering the same, beside the possibility of him think about how Overwatch could use it too.

“It is, indeed.” He speaks slowly, picking the unbelievable flower from her hand.

“I’m stunned, Satya!” Hanzo comes back with a small wood tray with eight sake shots. She only smiles back. As he sees Amélie and McCree embraced, he complements: “You even joined these two.”

“It’s your perfume, Shimady.”

“No way.”

“Yeah, it is. Smell it.”

Hanzo does it, and so Amélie at the same time.

The Japanese smirks at it, but the French pulls some of his chest hair.

“Ouch!!”

“To the drinks?” She undoes the embrace casually, and reaches the glasses.

Satya is again with her drink on hands, hiding her smile behind it.

“Finally sake, Jesse.” Hanzo announces. “I brought two for each of us to start.”

“You’re the best, Hanzo-kun.” He takes both at once.

Amélie is smelling it first but Satya says:

“I’m really grateful. But I’m not taking any alcohol.” She realizes the strange look he gives to the glass on her hands. “This one here is only with fruits.”

Amélie and Hanzo serve themselves together then, after a toast.

“Wow, I skipped the toast” McCree picks one shot originally from Satya and join them. “I liked it well.” He remarks after drinking the fourth.

“You better pay for them if you want more, my sugar baby.”

“Hanzo! Not in front of others! Satya, miss, please don’t take this man seriously.” McCree seem disturbed, which makes her smiles in an unimpressed expression.

“I wonder how you handle this, Amélie.” She studies her skin tone.

“Actually, I could say I wonder the same.” She attests looking at the two who fights over the last shot. “And you, are you here by yourself?”

“Yes, I am… I’m enjoying my vacations finding some time to myself.” She explains, posing her glass on the counter and arranging the others.

“And here we are disturbing you, aren’t we?” Amélie asks, ashamed, observing McCree immobilizing Hanzo with one hand and taking the last shot with the other. “Boys? Go pick up more, okay? Don’t fight over it.”

“No, not at all. I need to get some distraction. And you are helping me with it.” She attests as the two go to the line laughing. “Even because now I see I can be distracted from my own problems by helping other people, like you.”

Amélie makes a strange face, then sits beside her, at the newly vacant seat, interested.

“I saw your face, Amélie. Or Widowmaker.” She waits for the French’s reaction as she pronounces the other’s name. “You seem to be still concerned by being a Talon weapon. I saw it when I made the flower and gave to your boyfriend.”

“He is no-” She interrupts herself. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you saw in me a Vishkar utility. A Vishkar weapon. But that’s not what I am. And you don’t need to see yourself as the same. What Talon did to you is not something you need to feel like you should reciprocate.” She turns her legs to the same direction as Amélie, looking at her shoes.

“What have you and Hanzo discussed about?” She is being kind, Amélie knows it, that is why she tries the most to not sound angry, but she sure is impressed by her audacity to approach directly this point.

“I got curious about your relationship, he only explained to me how you three work together. I got even more curious when he told me you two were a Talon and an Overwatch agent. I had to look for more information online.” She now stare her nails. “It was actually hard to discover you were Widowmaker. I found it as a theory. But he presented you as Amélie… And there you were… blue.” She smiles.

“ _ D’accord…  _ I see it now.”

“So I kept myself all afternoon thinking about you. How could you be in a cruiser? With an ex-Overwatch agent? Are you intend to kill him or to overcome yourself? I’m really restless between these possibilities.” She turns her glance to her face, to her gloomy pink lipstick. 

Amélie shocks initially, before softly laughing, looking for McCree and Hanzo, but not finding them.

“ _ Uhla _ , where those two might be? But anyway, better that they’re not here. I’m not killing anyone for no reason, right?”

“Great! I was sure you’re looking for an overcome. That’s why I decided to approach the Talon weapon subject. If you were here to try something new, it would possibly be because you are not seeing your true self, but trying to find it.”

Amélie blinks multiple times, searching for something on the floor.

“ _ Uhla,  _ Satya… Let me bring some cocktails for both of us, okay? One without alcohol for you.”

As the barman prepares their drinks, she tries to clarify the things in her mind, wishing he takes the longer he can.

She arrives with the glasses,  _ morango _ to Satya and  _ caipirinha _ to herself.

“_Alors_, Satya… That’s it. You’re right. What do you have to tell me about it? Have you ever felt this way?”

“For sure. I’ve been working for Vishkar Corporation since I was a teenager. Separating their participation in who I am is a difficult part, but now I see it, and the best part of it is that I’m there because I decided to. Now I can see that I am what I choose to be. It’s my choice. I’m ready to face the consequences if I want to change the path. Could you say the same?”

Amélie starts to think about it but a loud gunshot overcomes the music. Everybody turns their head to its direction, without knowing what is happening.

“I bet this was McCree.” She rolls his eyes. “Excuse me, Satya, I have to take care of my pets.”

“I can’t imagine the scene.” She laughs, waving.

When Amélie gets up, she realizes she is already dizzy. She keeps going towards where she remembers hearing the sound, once again crossing the crowd and its freak people.

On the other side of the corridor, she hears some people shouting beside the music, less noisy now. Getting near, she notices they are making a circle around something. This thing, she discovers as she approaches, is Hanzo and McCree, actually.

McCree is standing in front of a layered table, holding his gun. There is a pierced apple beside him, she supposes it was the object he just shot. Another apple is on his head. Hanzo is a few meters ahead. He has his bow in hands and he is now aiming at him.

Amélie freaks out at the same time. She is sure they are pretty drunk, so she runs in front of them, screaming:

“Stop it you crazy dumbasses!”

“Woow looks who’s worried!!” McCree screams all joyful and Hanzo lows the bow. “Come be an aim you too.” He grabs her by her arm, holding her from behind.

She starts complaining, but as soon she smells him, she speaks, more peaceful:

“Are you really using his perfume, bastard cowboy?”

“Only to please you.” He nods to Hanzo.

“It fits you well.” She sinks her nose on his neck. Then kisses it as the piercing sound of the arrow tears the air just above them, followed by the cheers of the crowd. The alcohol was starting to kick in, making her feel giddy and sleepy and she decides it is okay to stay there just a little longer. Her head on his shoulder, his hand on her waist. Just a little more. 


	7. Chapter 7

McCree wakes up feeling  _ warm _ , for lack of a better word. there’s a warm softness behind him and a weight on his chest, not as warm. He opens his eyes to a full head of dark hair and feels a pair of legs intertwined with his own.

_ What… _

The memories flash rapidly through his mind, reminding him vaguely of the previous night. The conversation with Symmetra and her beautiful crossed legs, shots of sake, shooting an apple, Amélie with her face buried on his shoulder, pestering Amélie until she takes a shot. And another. The last thing he remembers sort of clearly is Hanzo throwing him over his shoulder and carrying him around to prove he was strong enough to lift a guy taller than him. But he can't actually recall why they were all on the same bed, Amélie sleeping cozily in his arms, using his bicep as a pillow and Hanzo spooning him from behind.

He moves his head minimally to grasp their current state and sighs in relief and underlying disappointment that they are all dressed. What the hell was he doing there, cuddling with a Talon agent and her boyfriend. It was crazy how they fit together on that bed, so snug, like a completely accidental puzzle. He's been having a nice time with them and maybe, just maybe he was starting to feel like he belongs somewhere in the middle of whatever that is. He sighs, enjoying the moment. 

He is almost falling asleep again when Amélie budges in his arms. His eyes fill with mischief, and he waits until her eyelids start moving to hug her closer and give her a kiss on her forehead. 

"G'morning, babe." He smiles affectionately at her. Her eyes open all the way up and she frowns at him, confusion written on her face. 

"Jesse? What…?" she looks around without moving her head before returning her eyes to his smiling face. She is about to say something when her face scrunches up cutely in a yawn, and she adjusts her head on his arm. 

"Whatever, you're comfortable." and closes her eyes again. That was definitely not what McCree was expecting. He was expecting her to tell him off or to ask about Hanzo. But there was she, all snuggled up, sleeping on his chest. McCree was reluctant to admit how much he was liking all that. The attachment was reckless and risky, but he could barely contain himself, after so much time not feeling like part of anything. Either way, he was stuck in a gigantic ship with them so he could just go ahead and enjoy the time together. With these thoughts, McCree would love to allow himself to slip to dreamland once more, however, even if he was enjoying that moment, the position began to bother him.

His eyes slipped around in the room, resting on the flower Symmetra gave him. He decides to get up carefully, untangling from his koalas. They grumble unintelligibly but return to sleeping. He looks at them, smiling affectionately, returning the gaze to the flower after.

He spends some time trying to decode it and its ingenuity, touching each petal, spinning it and testing its legery. He scratches his head. So he drops it and decides to take a shower, dress up and find Satya.

Outside the cabin, his first thought is that he is maybe not well dressed for the weather with his opened flowery shirt and shorts once the temperature is already low. But he expected it was previewed and the deck was somehow fine. Once he gets there, he discovers he was right. The whole place is covered by some kind of glass dome, keeping the summer-like heat.

Satya is out of sight as he looks for her, so he decides to pick a sun lounger. He knows she will be there soon, so he lays himself down, alternating between just relaxing and surfing online.

He is lying on his stomach when a male voice calls: “Jesse?”

“Heey, look who’s already u-” He answers as he turns his body toward the direction of who he expected to be Hanzo. But once he discovers that it is not him, he gets up immediately, making a serious expression. “Goodness gracious. What are you doing here, revenger?”

“Once again, I could ask you the same.” Jack Morrison, in casual clothes, a black shirt and pants, no mask, stands next to the pool edge, smiles at the comment. “When I told you about Symmetra, I did not expect you to actually be here.”

Jesse is now grateful remembering about Hanzo telling him that he can conceal his feelings and look like he is comfy, once his thoughts go directly to Amélie and the efforts Jack is putting on revenging everything.

_ I can’t let him know _ , he thinks,  _ please, Amélie, stay in the cabin. _

“Oh, yeah, old man.” He passes his arm around his shoulder. “And I did not expect you to do the same. Sit there, please!” He undoes the hug. “So, are you here looking for her?”

“I’m the old man now?” He disapproves with a smile, sitting on the edge of the chair, his arms leaning on his knees. “Aren’t you the crybaby, instead? Alright, Jesse McCree, you’re right. I’m here to investigate her.”

“Alright, Jacky, I won’t call you old man again, there is no need to call me by my name and surname. Promise I’ll behave.” He winks, laying on the chair again. “I already my daddy anyway.”

He laughs hard about it.

“Jesse! You? Wow… The Shimada? I never expected it from you.”

“Oh well, you were always my commander… And now, I thought you were dead.” He winks again, Jack blushes, swapping his glance and licking his lips.

“You better keep calling me old man, so.”

“You know, I’m glad you aren’t my commander anymore. I can’t see myself talking such things to you before. I imagine Ana must have told how you tired look now, but she probably hasn’t talked about this unpressured atmosphere surrounding you. I mean, you seemed about to explode in those years, man.”

Jack looks down, lost in the words he just heard.

“And so, how’s the thing going on with Satya?” McCree talks once again.

“At the moment, nothing so interesting. She spends a lot of her time inside her cabin. When she gets out, she comes here to the deck, or has some meal at the restaurant. Unless you get on her way.” Jack raises one eyebrow in a daring face.

McCree freezes.  _ So he knows. But why he keeps playing it nice? _

“Wow, Jacky 76, so are you stalking a lady?” He reciprocates the eyebrow raise.

“ _ Yeah, Jessy, _ it seems that yes. I haven’t talked to her yet because I want to be sure of my moves.”

“But what are you interested in?” He already knows what, but he asks it anyway.

Jack bites his tongue and keeps his silence for a few seconds. He studies the pool for a while, then returns his eyes directly to Jesse’s eyes.

“It seems Gabe trained you well. You’re being just like him, pretending everything is fine and I’m dumb enough to ignore what is right in front of me.”

McCree is desperate inside. And even angry due to the comparison. But he still lays calmly, resisting the will of doing some funny comment because he does see Gabriel doing it. He can’t blame him, Jack can be frightening.

“Do you think I’d meet you and I wouldn’t investigate how you could find me? Few people in the world know I’m alive. Even fewer know the Soldier 76’s identity. How could the Shimada kid know all of it, and my position, on top?”

“Please don’t kill me, Jack-y.”

He smiles.

“I had many opportunities of doing it. But I like you, Jesse. Worse yet, I trust you.” He moves to the same chair McCree is lying, and sits right beside him, approaching as he continues: “I trust you’re a good guy. I trust you know the right thing to do. And I hope you’re doing the right thing with the crazy situation you’re in.”

McCree smiles, but he could not be more tense.

“Yes, I know.” Jack confirms. “I know you’re involved with the Talon agent. Possibly with the new Talon agent too. Hanzo yes.”

“I wouldn’t say it…”

“Didn’t you heard what he told me the other day?”

“Exactly, Jacky. He doesn’t want to join anything. That’s why we wanted to talk to Symmetra, becau-”

“Because she is involved with Talon.”

McCree swallows hard, uncomfortable with the feeling of being put against the wall. And Jack can do it so gently, what makes everything worse. He keeps so close, without turning his insanely blue eyes from him.

“Wow. You’re good. Damn it, ex commander. Y’re so smart. But it isn’t her. It’s the corporation.”

“Okay, right. But how do you know it isn’t her?”

McCree touches the contour of one of his face scar.

“What did you just do?” He smiles, shaking his head. “Ok, Jesse. I understood. But you can get this information for me, can’t you?”

“She’d kill me. And now I know you won’t.”

“I could ask Ana to do it.”

“Why don’t you just chill?”

“I can’t, Jesse. You heard what I said to Hanzo.”

“Oh you can.” Jesse gets up and grabs him to drop him in the pool. But at the second he does it, he regrets it. If it was Amélie or Hanzo, they would complain and fight. But Jack just lets it happen. As McCree had already started, he just ends it. The two fall in the pool with a huge splash. He looks at Jack’s face, fearing his expression, but he keeps it gentle.

“Actually, thank you for it. I would have never entered the pool by myself. You could have only waited for me to change my clothes.”

“I expected you to be mad at me.” Jesse is feeling so ashamed.

“It’s hard to get mad at you, Jesse. And I hope Amélie finds it too. So you better ask her about Symmetra. If you don’t, you better know I will discover about it anyway, sooner or later.” He closes his eyes, as if he is feeling the water.

“Do you know Amélie works with Gabriel? Do you know she almost killed Ana?”

“I expected  _ me _ to be asking  _ you _ those questions.” He keeps his eyes closed. McCree starts doing the same. “But yes, I know it. Anyway, she can lead me to Gabriel, and you can lead me to her. Ana told me Amélie and her have discussed after the whole thing. Amélie… Poor Amélie. She is just an object to Talon. I hope you can help her find her true self.”

McCree can not keep his eyes closed and talk about all this with as much serenity as him.

“You have seen a lot in your life, haven’t you Jack?”

“Why do you say it?” He opens his eyes.

“The way you talk about those things, like you are reciting a song.”

“What? You told me to relax.” He laughs.

McCree smiles, but change his glance to the water, trying to understand the pattern on the floor underwater. It is still hard to believe that he is on a cruise, having Jack all soaked in shirt, pants and shoes, face-to-face with him.

“Please, Jack. Don’t disappear again.” Jesse speaks in a vulnerable tone.

Soldier look at him with a pitiful smile. So he approaches and holds him, letting Jesse’s head lean on his shoulder.

“I see you Jesse. I know you lost everyone and everything it was a home to you. And I’m happy you find some people to be with during these times, I hope they treat you well, you deserve it. You know why I disappeared, and I hope you can understand it. But here we are again, right? I’m the same guy, always busy, but I’ll not disappear once more.”

Jesse never used to feel vulnerable with somebody, neither to feel this lump in the throat. He does not know what to say, so he keeps leaning on Jack’s shoulder. He does not want him too see his probably red eyes, either.

So there they still, for some time. Until he raises his head and backs up.

“Thank you, Jacky. See, I don’t want you getting in trouble, risking your life and killing Reyes.”

“Oh, yes. I got in trouble and risked my life, but it was Gabriel who almost killed me. That was how I encountered Ana, by the way. But let it aside, for now. It’s almost dinner time and I wanna try to float before.”

×××

When McCree enters the room, he closes the room door and notices Amélie busy doing some research online, alone and seating comfortable at the bed.

“Ah, you’re back.” She sounds like she is happy in seeing him.

“ _ Boa tarde _ , dear. Did you spent the entire afternoon here? Where is Hanzo?”

She smiles with disdain to his Portuguese.

“He’s in the bathroom. Feeling sick. Too much sake yesterday, too much sea moving today. You can see the combo. He can barely maintain water on his stomach. I was here with him.”

“Wonderful.”

“Oh yeah. But tell me, did you forget to take off your clothes when you got in the pool?”

“I wanted to make a big entrance, can’t you see?” He flexes his pecs though his opened wet shirt.

She smiles ironically, but he takes it as a great advance.

“Anyway, I came here to change this clothes for dinner. By the way, I have visitors for you, downstairs. We could eat together at the great salon. Shall we?”

Hanzo comes back from the bathroom directly to the bed again without saying a word.

“Visitors? Who? Symmetra is here?” She sounds confused and surprised.

McCree was so comfy seconds before about this subject, but now that he is about to say it, he feels so unsure.

“Let’s take a moment to appreciate the view.” He extends the subject talking about Hanzo who lays on his stomach, with same shorts from the night before, but shirtless.

Amélie take a brief look at him but it doesn’t work. Soon the piano in the hall starts being played.

Even Hanzo opens his eyes to the sound.

“I’m tired of this view already. C’mon, Jesse, just tell me who is here.”

“Okay…” He snorts. “Jack 76 Morrison”. He protects himself with his hands like he was expecting her to throw something at him. But she does not show any emotion after knowing it. She just gives him a deep look.

“Jackass is here?”

“He came here for Symmetra too. But he followed us. He knows about you. And he wants to talk to you”

“Give us a minute.”

And she quits the room, quickly making her usual ponytail.

“You only get yourself in trouble.” Hanzo murmurs and closes his eyes again.

“It wasn’t me, he had alrea-” The music stops being played. He sits, worried, staring at the sea through the window, without knowing what to do but hoping for the best, like no gun shots sounds.

“You know they ain’t gonna take only one minute, right? Go take a shower, you’re drenching the whole room.”

He nods. Then decides to follow the advice. He showers, dresses up but they are still there.

In the middle of his backs and forths, the piano strangely starts again so he decides it is time for him to get in the hall.

Seeing Jack with his wet clothes playing the instrument as Amélie studies his muscular body from behind is definitely not what he was expecting.

“See?” She announces to Soldier. “I told you he would quickly come if you start playing it.”

“Sure! I was hoping you to not kill each other and then I find you doing a serenade.” He keeps marveling as he walks down the stairs.

“I decided to be a good girl to your former daddy.” She says and McCree gazes. Jack smirks. “He wants to fuck with Gabriel? Okay, I don’t know if literally, but just go for it, he deserves it.”

“Amélie! I don’t think we got to be presented to each other well, before.”

“You know, I could say the same, commander.” She curls a lock of his gray hair with her forefinger. He just keeps playing.

“He also wanted to know about Symmetra and Vishkar? Well, the corporations are working together, yes. But Satya is just a Vishkar toy as I am to Talon. At least toys don’t sign a contract of silence.”

McCree sits just beside Jack, but in the other way, facing Amélie.

“What got into you, Widowunmaker?”

“Into me? Oh, nothing. It’s not my mission. I do only what I’m told, it was what they said to me. And the information? Ah well, Soldier 76 got them somewhere else. If anyone dreams about me saying this to him…  _ Bon, _ he knows that I’m the best sniper in the world, doesn’t he?”

“Is Amélie a Talon Sniper?” Jack smirks.

McCree raises his eyebrow totally suspicious. But she invites him to honor her with a dance. And as the moonlight illuminates the room, they allow themselves to celebrate the life among friends and enemies.

×××

Amélie did not want to be seen with Soldier, that’s why she orders her dinner for her and Hanzo directly to the room, and Jesse goes to the salon to have the meal with Jack.

She even wanted to discuss with Satya about the decisions she made with Soldier 76, about telling him about Talon and all, so the next day she goes to the pool area early, with Jesse and Hanzo, who was feeling better. Satya is there, reading another book. Amélie takes some minutes to talk about what she wanted before McCree floods her with his uncountable questions about her technology.

Even if the day goes really well, Hanzo is more excited On the next day, when the ships finally docks in the cold Reykjavik’s port.

They pick a taxi directly to the hotel, on the mountains. They say their “goodbyes” and search for their respective individual cottages. Hanzo breathes in relief once he finds himself all alone, inhaling the fresh cold air as he makes his way through the snow. The cruiser experience was great indeed, an experience he was not expecting and will not forget, for sure. But sharing the cabin for all those days made him looking forward to the end of the trip.

Moreover, it has been so long since he couldn’t spend a considerable amount of time on his own. When it was only him and Amélie, it was more peaceful, but even then, not totally. Now that McCree is also there, those lonely moments are gold. That is why facing the cottage is invigorating. The place is far enough from the others, all in wood and glass, really cozy in-between mountains, with a breathtaking view from above to the fields, under thick dark clouds.

It is warm inside the house, smelling like chocolate and coffee. It is possible to feel at home only by the adjusted yellow lights by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Hanzo finds a place to put his things down and soon enough he is inside the big square bathtub, lowered in the ground, holding a mocha he did not resist to make to himself.

The bath has glasses windows beside it, as well. With that view, he could pass hours there. And so, he does. No more missions for today, no plans for tomorrow. He is at peace for a while.

He is not sure of when he gets over with the bath time. Neither of how much time he spent after it, meditating, reading, practicing his exercises, eating the food he ordered from reception… He only felt tired and went to bed without looking at the clock. And he is thankful he can wake up whenever he wants to, to do more of it.

With the curtains well shut, the sun comes up in this less cloudy day, but it does not bother him, even if the sunrise might be almost twelve o’clock in Iceland. But he feels fully reposed at this time, ready for another lonely day.

This time he prefers to cook something to himself. An Asian soup is what he chooses, picking up the ingredients from the cabinets.

When everything is eaten and cleaned up, it is almost night again. He decides to take a bath again, with some green tea, so he can admire the sunset in all its splendor.

This time, he wonders what his partners would be doing, and if they would be enjoying their stay. Amélie, he imagines, would be doing the same thing as him, with some red wine on her hand, instead. But McCree?

Knock knock.

Someone knocks on the front door. Hanzo cannot help smiling to himself, even if contradicted. He gets out of the bathtub, passing a towel around his waist and reaches the door.

“So quickly bored, my friend?” He asks to the naively smiling McCree.

“How couldn’t you?”

“It’s you who bores me, I’d never been more excited, instead.”

“I don’t see it.” He lowers his eyes to the towel.

“C’mon, you jerk, get inside. The cold is getting in.”

“Wow, it isn’t you who likes it?”

“Look how I’m dressed.”

“I’m seeing it, and I really like it.” He barely looks at the entourages as he enters the cottage.

“I’m glad you did. Come, the sunset is great from here. And I want you to wear the same.” He gives him a dare smirk.

“Hanzo! Where is Amélie in these times?” He looks surprised.

“I’m not flirting, oh my… Come, I’m serious, the bathtub is huge. And if Amélie was here, she would be laughing, you know…” then he let the towel drops down, and enters the bathtub.

McCree loses his words, freezing his steps.

“All bark, no bite, isn’t it?” Hanzo is laughing freely of his expression. “C’mon, cowboy, strip it down.”

“I wonder why don’t we stayed alone at the bathroom before.” He starts taking off all the coats he has on. Hanzo sips the tea, looking at him.

“You’re pretty hot, McCree, don’t you know?”

However, it doesn’t make him feel comfier, but shy, instead. That is why as soon as he removes all his clothes, he quickly enters the bathtub.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Hanzo asks pointing to the sunset beside them, once Jesse accommodates himself at the other side of the bathtub.

McCree finally takes a look at the landscape, and relaxes. He spends some minutes appreciating it, before returning his gaze to the inside, studying the room.

“Wonderful.” He announces slowly, as he was reflecting about it. “Pretty hot, as you’d say… Or as you too.”

Hanzo flexes his tattooed arm, laughing.

“I just noticed now that you don’t have any body hair.”

“I don’t like it. Want some tea?”.

“Sure.” Jesse picks the cup. “Well… What should I do now?” He flexes his arm too, but his body is covered in hair everywhere.

“I mean I don’t like it on my body.” He raises his eyebrow, smirking.

“Ha-ha, perfect…” He passes the cup back. “Let me tell you something. Did you know Genji teased me about you before our first meeting? He said ‘be careful not to fall in love with him, I know you’ll find him hot’. Well, he was only mocking but now I found it funnier.”

“Funny what? Are you in love with me?”

Hanzo made McCree blush. And he finds it very funny.

“I taught you well, didn’t I?” Jesse provokes back.

“The best teacher. An annoying teacher, however.”

“This way is better, with you attacking me.” He asks for the cup back, smiling over his red cheeks.

“I loved watching the sunset all alone yesterday. I would love doing it again today. But I’m having fun with you right here.”

“I’m sure you are. I’m absolutely happier.”

“Why do you avoid being alone, Jesse? Don’t drink it all, I still want some.”

“It’s boring. And for the last few years I have being bored since Overwatch shut down… Nothing special to do, you see? All my friends spread all over the world, if they are alive… To come find Genji’s brother was the best thing that happened to me these last times.” He returns the tea to Hanzo.

“Aww. But I’m sure I’m the best thing that happened not in your last times, but in your whole life.” He smiles with closed eyes, then picks the cup. “Oh my, it barely contains one sip.” He jets the rest of the tea on Jesse’s face. “Okay, let me make more…”

He gets out completely naked, making the other whistle.

“What? You only bark!” Hanzo stops in the middle of the way.

“No, I don’t. Come here and you’ll see.” He launches a provocative smile that turns to fear once the Japanese does return, then to a pleasant smile again before he reaches it.

Hanzo enters the bathtub, lying over the other. McCree, who lays his head on the edge of the tub, receives him with open arms, holding him close once he is all immersed in the water.

“Here comes the cigar taste once again.” Hanzo announces like he was revolted, before touching the other’s mouth. They start kissing gently. Hanzo kisses his chin, the side of his mouth and his cheek. But in the cheek, he starts doing it so intensely that McCree moves his head to him to reach the mouth again. And now they kiss each other intensively, almost desperately.

“I see you are masking your fearful feelings with all this flirty state and affection.” The Japanese attests with his mouth touching the other’s.

“Damn, Hanzo. I was going to say I’m glad we’re doing this sober… But you’re now making me doubt it.”

“I mean, really, yo-“

“Shut up, husband.” He forces kiss him again, grabbing him by his waist, and turning around, so he can be on top. Hanzo does not say anything more. He passes his arms around Jesse’s back as their bodies stay really close, so they can feel each other. Their kisses become more and more passionate and desirous.

Knock knock.

The door again.

They look at each other with despair.

“Oh. my.”

“Did you order something?” McCree strange.

“No, I didn’t! It’s Amélie at the door, for sure.”

“Go see what she wants, then.”

“I can’t, man! Can’t you feel why?”

“Woow.” He smiles and pushes his hips against the other’s.

“Stop it!” Hanzo is full of despair and McCree can’t stop finding all everything hilarious.

“Let her knock, then.”

“Well, you see, I didn’t lock the doo-”

The door handle moves, shutting his mouth.

She enters all covered in a purple coat, searching in the living room.

“Hanzo?” She calls, turning to the left, and then to the right… “Ah, there you are.” She approximates, looking at then in the bathtub, one above the other, as she expected exactly this same scene. “I was looking for McCree, he was too quiet so I decided to check if everything was all right. Now I see it actually is.”

“H-howdy!”

“H-Hi, Amélie!”

She stands still there. Hanzo leaning his head on the tub, between McCree’s hands, with which he holds himself above.

“If you intend to watch it, you better do it from the inside.” Jesse teases.

“I’m here wondering why did you two take this long for it.”

They look at each other and smile.

“I wonder the same about you.” He retaliates. “Better late than never.”

“Just give me a great show, guys.” She searches for a chair and sits, watching.

Hanzo laughs, worried.

“Amélie, are you serio-”

But McCree is already kissing him again. He now leans his hands on Hanzo’s chest, pressing it. It takes some time, and to finish the kiss, he bites his lips and pulls it a little.

“ _ Bravo _ ! Teach him all these things, McCree. The guy needs to learn how to kiss.” She claps and by the ways she does it, Hanzo finally realizes she is drunk.

“Let me show you if I learnt it, wife.”

She only smiles, but gets up from the chair, saying.

“I had enough, thank you.”

The Japanese pushes McCree a little for him to get out of the tub.

“Go for her.” He speaks only with the lips and eyes.

McCree downs his head in direction to his hips as he says “I can’t, you know.”

“I know! That’s why you need to go. Do you want it or not?” He whispers quickly. So McCree gets out from the bathtub.

Amélie gazes with the view of him.

“Come!” He stands his hands.

“Ha! I wanna see you put me there.” She says it casually, as she always tends to answer him. But he literally puts her inside the tub. He raises her by her legs, over his shoulder, and drops her in the water.

“McCree!!! You fucking idiot.” But she does not try to get out. She only starts taking off her soggy clothes. “I was going to enter, anyway.”

“No, you were not.” He jumps in the tub.

She only smiles back with malice.

“What were you doing, boys?” She looks at them alternately.

“We were only looking at the sunset, but it’s over for now as you can see. So McCree got bored, you were not around, but I was…”

“I’ll pretend I believe it… Even knowing my room was not the one that received a visitor…”

McCree looks at Hanzo looking for some clue to know what to do.

“At least you’re our visitor here.” Hanzo says. “Ready to keep the boredom away from this guy? I think it’s about tike you made out too.”

She looks at McCree, who this time is not with that smile. He eyes her with some anger, and she knows that is because she ruined his date. Amélie loves seeing him this way. His wet hair back, the desirous glance he is having for Hanzo…

“It’s your big day, Jesse.”

He widens his eyes as she approximates her face.

“You know what, little spider? Now that you want it, I’d like to leave you wishful there, only teasing you as you do with me.” And he reaches Hanzo face to kiss him instead.

The Japanese ended enjoying it.  _ I wish I could kiss you right now _ , McCree, he could say, and as he is already doing it, he has wish to laugh. He puts his hands on McCree’s face, caressing it.

“Argh! Stop it you two.” She tries to separate them. So Hanzo starts kissing Jesse’s neck. McCree turns his face to her, so she kisses him, as she complains but like, starting it.

They do not kiss tenderly from the beginning, they already bring passion to it, as if the action was premeditated for a long time.

Hanzo decides to watch it as it gets interesting. McCree sits on the tub and she sits above him, removing her bra. So he kisses her breasts too. Not taking so long for him to return to her mouth, holding her with one hand in her back and another on her neck, behind her loose hair as she holds his head.

“Now, this, this is a kiss.” She annonces to Hanzo, breathlessly.

“Leave him alone, Amélie. I like how he does it, too.” McCree laughs.

“Actually, I confess it is interesting to watch.”

“Enough watching, however. I wanna see if you understood anything from your classes, come here.”

Hanzo reaches her from behind and starts the kiss once again, as he did in the apartment in New York, but feeling desirous than ever. She has only her head turned back to him, so she leads her hand to his neck, giving a view McCree is enjoying very much.

“I wonder who is the teacher right now.” He jokes, getting on his knees so he can reach their height. He embraces Amélie and joins their kiss without they waiting, so they initially laugh about it.

“Our chocolate syrup, right?” She remarks but they just ignore, continuing being busy with each other above her shoulder. “You were right, I’m better watching from here.” She caresses their faces, downing her hands to their chests, stomachs and even farther…

They instantly end the kiss and gaze. She smiles so they reciprocate her as she does not stop.

All three enjoy the moment, however, really quickly, they are all done.


	8. Chapter 8

They lay in bed in silence. Hanzo’s bed, but he is not complaining. He is in the middle of the other two, leaning his back on the wall as he resumes his reading. Amélie is still sleeping beside him, and McCree sips another cup of tea he just made, once Hanzo forbade him to smoke inside.

It returned snowing last night, so they went from the bath to directly under the covers to enjoy the coziness. No clothes on, however.

It is already morning, and they profit the serenity for these hours, until Hanzo notices McCree staring at him, so he decides to ask:

“Did you enjoy playing house?”

In his turn, he passes his arms around his waist, kissing Hanzo’s cheek.

The Japanese initially smiles at it, but Jesse stays still, all affectionate.

“Ok, I get it. Enough now.” Hanzo says but he does not move. So he tries to untangle himself. McCree holds him closer and stronger. “That’s how you wanna play?” So he puts his hand on McCree’s nape and surprisingly kisses him. Jesse receives it well, reciprocating the kiss with desperate passion and lust. Then Hanzo pushes him aside and quickly gets out of the bed.

“Whoa! This is cheating, partner.” He looks so disappointed that Hanzo almost feel pity at him.

“You’re the mistress here, Jesse.” He smirks. “I just didn’t want to use strength.”

“Even ‘cuz you’d lose it.”

“Really? I put you on the bed the other day on the cruiser. I can even use you to make standing bench press, just come here.”

Jesse gets up and approaches him, staring directly his mouth as he does. Hanzo smiles with closed eyes to avoid rolling them. Once McCree in on face of him with his almost 5 inches taller, he pretends to reach his mouth to kiss him, but them grabs him by his thighs, turning him by side in mid air as Jesse laughs with distress.

“Wow, Hanzo, I dare. I dare you reach 10 flexes.” He annonces near to the roof, balancing on the archer’s hands as he brings the American up and down.

“Right. Count with me. One… Two…” His arms do not even tremble. “Three… Four… Five…”

“Hey, Hanzo, I’m up here wondering with you down there, does it means that I’m the top and you the bottom?”

“ _ Baka! _ ” But he cannot contain himself from laughing at it.

“Noo, stop it you gonna drop m-” It was too late. They are already all spread on the floor, and laughing out loud.

Amélie, now awake, leans her head on her hands, lying on the bed, smiling at the scene.

“You two make me feel like I’m not the youngest one here.” She gets up and wears some of Hanzo’s clothes as hers are still humid from the night before. “Why don’t we take a tour in town today? I’ll get some new dry clothes, thank you McCree, you beautiful, and we can leave.”

Soon they are in the car, towards downtown. McCree tries to convince the other two to sing in the way, but they end up turning the music off. Once they arrive, they park the car to take a walking tour.

It is a windy day, they stay in the streets only for some minutes, contemplating the colorful buildings, well preserved from the omnic crisis, but soon they enter a local market, souvenir shop or something else to reheat themselves, until lunch time arrives and they stay inside for a little longer.

“Our first meal as a couple. Aww.” McCree remarks when they are all seated at a table in a greenhouse like area of the wooden floor restaurant. Amélie and Hanzo change fearful and unbelieving glances. But they smile.

“I love how you do things without scruples, Jesse.” Amélie touches his forearm. “Do you wanna choose what I’d like to eat, too?”

“Daddy Hanzo can do it.”

“Oh, well. It’s not me the one she was talking about.”

“Alright, I’d like this  _ Eldað nautakjöt _ .” Amélie cuts the fun off.

“Oh! My girlfriend is picking the mutton? I’m going with this green salad, then.” McCree closes the menu.

“Good choice, Jesse. You better enjoy it now you can, once they are not so common in Talon. ‘Cause, you know, as my boyfriend, I’m already assuming you’re in.”

He squints at her, twisting his lips.

“Wow, this one is perfect to shut his mouth up.” Hanzo smirks, scanning the menu.

“Smart, isn’t it?” She gives him an innocent and provocative smile. Hanzo kisses her cheek, still smiling. McCree does not change his expression, so the Japanese caresses Jesse’s chin beard.

The waiter arrives, they make their orders and do not talk about Talon anymore. Their impressions about the city and their plans for the future take their time as subject, instead.

Even because the restaurant they are in is really impressive and unusual. Mainly after the last places they have been. It did not stop snowing yet, which turns the experience inside more snug, considering the view of the snow sliding on the slanted glass ceiling and walls.

They were not in a hurry for the meal to be over, but sooner than they wanted, Hanzo was paying the bill.

For dessert, they, or better, Amélie and Hanzo, didn’t even think twice: Ice cream. McCree openly smiles at the idea but decides to not say a word. To his surprise, when they arrive at the gelato shop, the spot has a reasonably large line for what he considers a bad situation to have ice cream.

The place has a red glass door beside a rustic showcase displaying the gelatos with real strawberries, vanilla, coffee grains and pistachios in each flavor. In front of them, there are twin girls who pick as many flavors as they can, as if they were in a contest. Each one trying to avoid picking a flavor that the other sister may have already ordered. Hanzo snorts audibly behind them, and turns around to complain about it to  _ his spouses _ who are strangely quiet. But he finds out that they are not there. He looks around, wary, but they are not in any part of the shop. So he decides to quit the line, fearing the worst when he crosses the doorstep looking for them.

Beside the shop, there is a dry tree still with some gleaming christmas ornaments. Hanzo finds the two of them below a mistletoe hanging from the awning outside, standing in the white snow carpet, in a cinematografic kiss. McCree with his legs wide open, holding Amélie by her waist, making her lean far back, one leg down on the floor and the other with her foot resting on his calf, balancing herself with one hand behind Jesse’s neck and the other grabbing his arm. He stops kissing her mouth to search for her neck, but returning a few seconds after.

They do not notice Hanzo next to them, blinking in surprise. But he decides to return inside and order what he thinks they would like. Anyway, they are back before the three gelatos are ready.

“How was it outsid-” He starts asking but McCree interrupts him by hugging him from behind. Holding him real close and passing his arms around his stomach. “Oh my…” He blushes right in front of the attendant who finishes the last gelato. Amélie laughs. “Ok, I  _ feel _ you.” But he keeps still until Hanzo finishes the payment to the embarrassed guy.

“Why don’t we go home early?” McCree suggests in a husky voice staring at Hanzo licking the gelato just like Amélie usually does. She bites her lips and looks somewhere else, with some concealed pleasure.

“Not now if what you just did was a preview.” He crosses his arms, raising his eyebrow. “We’ll be home soon, you can be sure. But we could go to a thermal today.”

“Okay, daddy. Let me just have a kiss from you now, tho.”

“What happ-” But he was already hugging him over his crossed arms, passionately kissing him. When it is over, Hanzo fails his attempt to look upset. “What you did to him, Amélie?” He searches for her but she only shrugs.

“Okay… we’re going home now?” McCree asks again.

“You know what?  _ Hallgrímskirkja _ , the church, is right there. Shall we stop by?” He uncrosses his arms, and make a suggestive face.

The church is only two blocks from there. When they reach it, their ice cream is still almost untouched. They decided to take their first picture together, asking an omnic who passed by to do the favor. They stand in the middle of the street, the church behind them, all three with the gelato in hand under the twilight sky. McCree with a big smile in-between, his arms around Amélie and Hanzo beside him, both with a mocked mouth closed smile.

The moment is registered in the picture. McCree kisses the head of each one on his arms, Amélie and Hanzo smile like they are getting used to all the affection, so they look one to another, and decide to kiss each cheek of his.

“To home, now?” McCree suggests with malice in the middle. They raise their eyebrows but in seconds they thank the omnic and go back to the car.

Amélie is on the low, as usual. Hanzo rides in the passenger seat trying to conceal some cheap mockery McCree tells in the backseat, sitting on the edge to get closer to them.

The sunset lights fade in the sky as they approach the rustic hotel.

“I’d never thought I would love Iceland this much” Jesse affirms caressing Hanzo’s arm, who gives him a scorn glance. “Look, they even lowered the lights for our ambience.”

He is talking about the public light that got turned off suddenly when they reach the hotel road. 

“I don’t know why are you happy about the dark, once you couldn’t take your eyes from me yesterday.” Amélie teases but she is actually thinking about what would make the lights go out.

They get out the car. McCree happier than never of being home earlier, his smile full of second intentions. Hanzo fails his best attempts to not smile along. “I can’t believe you age.” He says.

“Well, you know, it seems that you are the one who doesn’t live the things people in your age usually lived.”

“Bullshit! It is the first time for you to.”

“Soo… We can’t deny our excitement.” He approaches the Japanese who stares him with open desire instead of its usual concealed form.

“Boys…” Amélie who smiled to herself about the dialogue, now catches their attention. “The door will not open without electricity.”

They look at her suggesting her to resolve the problem.

“Ok, gentlemen. I’ll check it in the reception. But I already have the scene in my mind of how I’ll find you when I come back.” She shakes her head and they try to avoid her stare.

However, when she comes back, she finds they fighting against each other, instead, on the floor covered with snow. Jesse immobilized by Hanzo on his back who tries to suffocate him.

“ _ Mon Dieu! _ What are you doing?” She crouches and separates them.

“ _ Cough cough”  _ Jesse caresses his own neck once it is free from Hanzo’s arms, sitting on the floor, breathing heavily. _ “ _ It’s your boyfriend feeling the dragon consuming him.”

“It’s your boyfriend too, now, you know it, right?  _ En plus _ , actually, I’m you two’s mother, for what it seems.” She stares Hanzo who makes a snowball and hits McCree right in the head. “Han? What the hell?”

“It seems like you don't know this jerk. Just one more of his  _ conneries  _ as you could say. We were just having fun.”

“ _ Han _ ? Wow, how many more nights do we have to spend together ‘till I get you calling me Jessy?” McCree half smiles.

This time is Amélie who hits him a snowball on his face.

“I regret separating Hanzo from you now. But, anyway, you better save your energy, we should apply it somewhere else now. And no, not on the bed, Jesse McCree.” She closes her eyes to his suggestive expression. “The whole island is out of electricity. Some problem with the central, the attendant told me.”

“I see. I’m in.” Jesse gets up, hitting Hanzo with a snowball when he tries to do the same.

“I didn’t think you would give up the bedroom plan so fast. But that’s it. Soldier 76 is here, right? Symmetra too. Let’s check this  _ coincidence _ with the energy. The central is not far from the city. And, as I know, they were studying fission energy. I’m pretty sure it has catch or Talon or Overwatch eye’s. Or both.”

The feelings they have back in the car are so mixed and intense that they would make an exquisite perfume if it could be smelled as a whole. Some excitement for being in this together, as well as apprehension and frustration for the incomplete night in the hotel. The door was manually open, but they got inside only to get their weapons.

Hanzo catches himself thinking about the situation he gets in, and somehow got these two too. He is aware they are here because they wanted to, but he’s still curious as to how McCree and Widowmaker are comfortable together, heading toward an investigation capable of putting in check their fidelity to the organizations they work for. And not only that, but organizations they try to convince him to join whereas he is on his way to persuade them to quit.

However, even if he is taking some fun out of these ideas, some twisted idea comes up to maculate the bright of the perfect mind scenario: what if it is only a chess game, with himself being the price of the winner?

It could be it, he knows it well. But he can not assume it as the whole intention. Because what about all the feelings he can see in them? Even in the slow heart of Amélie, the things are not in inertia. It would be selfish of him to consider it all is to affect him. It’s still a game, however. But not a Hanzo prized one. It is a game whose prize is to have fun while playing it. By the way, he must admit he is impressed by the match not being over yet.

For him, he is not apprehensive if it lasts longer.

"What are you thinking of, archer?" McCree takes him out of his thoughts.

Hanzo is not yet used to Jesse's intrusive way, once Amélie would never ask this kind of thing in such a directly form. But he is not complaining.

"About your ass, Jesse."

He laughs to the unexpected answer.

"You don't have to think of it, I can show you."

He ends up not showing any body part. They redirect the subject of the talk to what they are in eminence of facing, like why and who might be at the thermal electric station.

They decide to stop the car some considerable meters far from the place of interest, so they can approach less flashily by foot.

The thermal is a huge place built in gray concrete with few entrances and no windows. There are six towers giving off white and thick smoke, but the building is all blacked out. The afterglow is the only thing lighting everything up.

Each tower has a massive duct associated that goes towards the city. They approach them and crouch beside it to avoid being detected as they get near, weapons in hands. It does not take long for them to hear shots coming from inside the building, but everything stays still on the outside. They stop and lean on the duct, looking around for something. They do not even locate any getaway vehicle for whoever be inside, either car or helicopter.

“Should we go inside?” Hanzo asks to anyone particularly.

“Absolutely!” A female voice comes up from beside them. They make strange faces as they search for someone to aim at, but Amélie suddenly twists her mouth.

“I was sure you were involved with this, Sombra.” She lowers her rifle and the other appears right in front of them, all elegant in her purple suit and made up hair.

“_¡Hola, Amélie!_ _¿Me extrañaste?_” She half smiles as usual, them look at the other two. “_Hanzito_ and my dear Jesse, _qué tal_? I’m happy to see you three together with my own eyes. When I found out you were dating I was like, _es en serio_?”

“Who are you?” Hanzo asks her, clueless.

“A friend.” And then she touches the point of his nose.

“Have we met before?” McCree asks, raising his eyebrow.

“Have you already forgot our night out at the bar?” She makes a dramatic unbelieving face. “Oh, sure… You were too focused on the drinks…” She turns back to Amélie and lowers her voice tone: “Amélie, I must say I would not be upset if I were in your shoes.”

McCree laughs but Amélie cuts them up.

“What is happening here, Sombra?”

She approaches them, swapping her glance to each face like she was about to explain an action plan.

“Gabriel decided to act on his own. Iceland had developed a unique technology here to increase the electric production. Sanjay talked about it to Moira and she convinced Gabe to come here and pick it up for her. You know how Doomfist is pressing everyone with all that war talk, right?”

Amélie looks with wide eyes to the other two. She knows Sombra talked about the war plans just to get them to her side. But Amélie also knows that she did it because she would assume that the sniper would hide it from them. Sombra always want to sow discord, she sincerely hopes she failed now.

“So it seems you have all the information, Sombra?” She only smiles, so Hanzo continues: “How could you work to this corrupted corporation?”

“I need help from them to get the information, dear. But I work only for myself.”

“So you do things on your own, and that’s how you feel alright ignoring an upcoming war?” He quickly looks at Amélie, who looks away.

“Do you want a war,  _ Hanzito _ ?”

“No.”

“That’s what I imagined. So let’s get inside and you can help me to take the computer away from there.”

“How can we know you are not stealing it for your own intentions?”

“You can’t. But I can say to you that I’m not, and if you decide to do not do anything, Gabriel will steal it to himself for sure anyway. Who do you think was responsible for turning the lights out?”

“So with who he is exchanging shots inside?”

“Soldier 76 and Ana are here too. So this is our perfect moment to act”

“Why don’t you act by yourself, if you can even turn the lights out?”

“I can open doors and hack things, but the government guards are already there, and I can’t bypass them alone.”

“You know I’ll get in war with Talon myself if I decide to intervene and Gabriel finds me, right?” Amélie decides to talk.

“So it’s the best way to show your boyfriend whose side are you on.” She winks and succeeds in making Amélie feel angry.

Hanzo pulls the arrow in the bow ready for action, walking towards the building as he holds it. McCree goes just behind, tired of talking. Sombra, so, raises one eyebrow to Amélie and disappears.

“I’ll be just here, covering from the outside.” Amélie annonces, climbing some higher pipe.

They nod and approach the thermal. There is a main door now wide open, but the building has two levels, with another door on the second floor. Sombra appears up there calling them to climb by signals with her hands.

Hanzo gets up there easily by climbing the wall near it, finding two already knocked out guards, he doesn’t know if by Sombra or Amélie. Neither if knocked out or even dead. Meanwhile, McCree stays on the ground staring at them with a helpless look.

“ _ Pobrecito. _ ” Sombra comments his face.

“Don’t pity this guy.” Hanzo answers as he offers his hands to the other who miserably tries to climb too.

“I’m being ironic, can’t you see,  _ senpai? _ ” Hanzo can not express any reaction to her words because he is busy pulling his frien-, or better, Jesse up. They succeed, but on his last impulse, he ends up laying on top of Hanzo. Jesse smiles with his face next to the other, but Hanzo change his glance to somewhere else.

“Aww… Kiss kiss.” Sombra squats beside them, really expecting it. McCree gives him a peck, then gets up and helps the other. “Wow, please, let me in this thing of yours.”

“I’d rather not have you two together.” The japanese closes his eyes. But Sombra is invisible again. She opens up the door leading them to a great wide place. Almost the entire building is one single room, displaying all the towers, tanks, pipes and its technology inside. This second level is basically a long iron-floored corridor contouring one of the sides of the room. There are other rooms accessible by it, and two stairs to the first level on each side of the corridor.

“Third room, left” Sombra announces, invisible.

The other two looks suspiciously to the sides, searching for more guards, but there is no one. Even so, there are still gunshot sounds. They only realize the scene once they get on the platform.

Under stairs, there are few guards left. They notice it by the illumination of some flashlights, either by which in hand or dropped on the ground. The main source of noise, however, are the three agents Sombra warned about. Countourning a huge water tank, Reaper fights over three masked people. On the other side of the tank, Ana and Jack deal with the other five. They circle the tank trying to reach the other, but the guards difficult it as they make no difference from one another.

Hanzo notices a single guard down below aiming at him, but he quickly hits him with an arrow and runs towards the third room, finding Sombra revealed inside. It is a circular small room. There is a white column in the middle, from the ceiling to the floor.

“You should have seen when it was alight, it was gloomy.” She says, staring the curious object.

“So you have been here before?”

“Only to hack it, then I went out. There were plenty of guards.”

Hanzo does not answer. He returns to the corridor, searching for McCree, instead.

The American is aiming at the guards down with Ana and Jack. Then he shots. Three times. Three hits. However, he gets all the attention. So he smiles shrugging.

“Sorry boss, I need to help the good guys.” He shouts.

None of the three answer, but now Jack and Ana can reach Gabriel.

“So, are we taking the column or not?” Sombra hushes.

“Why? He won’t make it. And now Iceland will protect it better.”

“Eer… You’re probably right. So, I better go before Gabe sees me here. See you around,  _ Hanzito _ .” Then she disappears.

Hanzo nasally laughs and search for McCree, being once again surprised by what he is doing.

This time he is downstairs, walking towards the Reaper, his pistol in hands.

When Gabriel sees the fight is lost, he turns into a black smoke form. Hanzo, like everybody, was expecting him to escape through the front door. But the smoke goes upstairs, in the direction of the archer. He even get himself ready to hit him, but the smoke just passes by, to the balcony outside.

The Japanese follows him. On the balcony, he finds him in the human form.

“Hanzo, come.” Reaper’s dark voice invites him, as well as one raised forearm. The archer finds impressive how Amélie, Sombra and even him know his name. That  _ has  _ to mean something. He needs to give this opportunity a chance. He touches the other’s extended arm. So he feels the world around spinning as it turns black.


	9. Chapter 9

McCree watches the whole scene with wide eyes, not knowing what to expect, and after seeing his partner vanish right before his eyes, he’s frozen, glued to the floor, stunned, until Amélie hisses through the earpiece:

“ _ Shit, Hanzo, what the fuck are you thinking?! _ ”

“What’s happening?” he asks, startled.

“No time for questions, we need to find him.  _ Now. _ ”

Before he can turn to the exit, he hears Morrison’s voice from the opposite wall.

“Jesse!” he turns towards his voice and finds him near a door, Ana nowhere in sight anymore. He has the most serious expression McCree has ever seen. “Don’t lose him.”

McCree understands what he means right away, and just tips his head in accordance before sprinting towards the exit.

They get to the cabins, and McCree has no time to wait for Amélie to find another way to get into Hanzo’s cottage, as it is locked, so he just shoots the door lock and gets in.

“I was almost there”, Amélie grumbles, following him inside.

“Sure, honey”, Jesse waves off nonchalantly.

They find nothing uncommon inside the cabin, it would even seem like no one has ever been there if it wasn’t for the empty cup in the sink.

“What are we looking for, exactly?”, McCree asks, looking around.

“He hasn’t been here. Pack up his essentials, the rest you can throw out. And be quick, we have to go. I’ll go do the check out at the front desk”

“Yes, ma’am.”

On her way back, Amélie passes by her own cabin, changes out of her suit and into common clothes, puts everything she needs in a suitcase and the things she doesn’t need in a black trash bag.

When she returns, she has to gather all her willpower to not strangle the gunslinger. He’s wearing Hanzo’s jacket, boots and pants that are a little short and look a little funny. Besides all that, he even had the attention to tie his hair up in a teeny tiny bun.

“Having fun?” She asks, serious. He has the biggest smile on his face, and that aggravates her impatience even more.

“Look I’m Hanzo, do you like me now?” He turns once and poses before her.

Her gaze softens, and she rolls her eyes almost caringly, a hint of a smile on the corner of her lips.

“You don’t need to dress like him.” She just turns and leaves the room. As she stops at the door frame and looks back, Jesse has the sweetest look and smile at her, and she turns back before it can get to her. 

“Get your stuff, I’ll meet you at the front.”

In a few minutes they reunite at the arranged place, McCree still wearing the same clothes, but his own hat on his head now. They take a cab to the airport, and Amélie looks pensive the whole ride. 

“Do you think he’s in danger?” McCree asks seriously.

“I… believe he can take care of himself.”

“Okay, that’s scaringly cryptic”, he points out,”Where are we going, by the way?”

“If my instincts are correct, and I hope they are, Gabriel took him to the Talon HQ in Rome, so that’s where we’re going.”

“ _ We _ as in us two? An insider and an opponent? Is this any sort of very elaborate plan to have me dead? Or to torture me into disclosing confidential information about Overwatch?”

“Quit being a sissy, we’re going to rescue the princess so be the fucking white knight for once instead of the jester.”

“You hurt me, Amélie” he weeps miserably, with a hand on his chest.

\---

They are not in Iceland anymore, but they are still in Europe, Hanzo notices when he gets out of the aircraft. Reaper touches the ground beside him, but they were apart during the entirety of the short flight.

What he keeps in mind while walking out of the huge room is what the guy guiding him means. He is not too concerned about Talon itself, but who the Reaper really is. Even more now that he knows better his background history, and even discussed once with Soldier 76. Sombra already gave him one impression of the corporation, now this man can give another. A powerful one.

…

He tries to think of something to say as they pass boxes and cables towards a door that leads to what Hanzo thinks would be Talon’s siege. With Amélie, or better, Widowmaker, it could have been just like this, he is aware, but that different interest he felt for her has turned everything easier. And she somehow was available. But now he was invited to come and the host did not say anything when the visitor arrived home. So, he will not say anything, either.

They pass the door, cross corridors in marble and take an elevator at the end of one. Then walk through another corridor, until one room at the left side. All without saying a word.

The room is relatively small compared to the sumptuousness of the dark gray building. It is like a minimalist office, with one desk and three chairs, one behind and before it, nothing else. However, the wall behind the desk is all in glass, and the view of the city of Rome is stunning enough to fill any void.

Hanzo finds it beautiful, but he does not know where it is. Regardless, he only takes a look at it for a few seconds, once Reaper sits in one chair in front of the desk, as he was not expecting. So, he sits on the other, turning it to be just in front of him, posing his bow on the desk.

“You’re quie-“

“You don’t talk to-”

They both start talking at the same time, so they cut themselves together. None of them laughs about it.

Reaper gets up, and walk through the window. It is a relief to Hanzo who was getting outraged by the proximity of the curious being in the room. He could even sense the lasting smell of the thermoelectric coming from him. Maybe not as lasting as the question on his mind of what could be behind the mask.

“So Gabriel knows my name.” The Japanese attests as a question. He realizes in relief he is not shirtless this time as he looks at his own dark coat.

“And so Hanzo does mine.” The archer keeps wondering about his bizarre voice tone.

“I would say there is no need to present ourselves, then. A great thing once we are not the talking type, right?”

Gabriel turns to him but there is no expression, just a mask.

“But I’m afraid to say that we’ll have to talk a lot here, it seems. That’s a bad thing especially for you, who I believe is not having a good day.” Hanzo complements.

“You’ve already been introduced to the whole thing. And you’re right in the middle of it. I know it. And I know you already know Jack. How much of his stubbornness have you noticed? What happened back there showed enough to you?” No expressions and a monotone voice.

“I’m not sure. I don’t know what’s really happening. You seem to know me. I don’t know you.”

Reaper keeps his silence for a while, staring out the window.

“You know why are you here, right? We need you.” He finally says.

Hanzo sighs inaudibly, then gets up and goes to the window too.

“Who are you?” He asks again.

Gabriel lowers his head.

“Hell, Shimada.” Then he returns to stare the view. “What do you want to know?”

“You were once in Overwatch, now you’re here… You have this… Appearance, even if you’re supposed to be dead. You see, by knowing your motivations I can be motivated too.”

Hanzo notices the peeling leather in some spot of his cloak as he sighs.

“Right. You want my biography. I was in Overwatch once, right. At the beginning I was the leader of it, but then Jack showed himself better to deal with all the media thing so it was agreed he’d be the commander. But who had the best strategies was still me. We consented I would make decisions on the backstage. But as the years passed on, he was getting more and more arrogant until he was choosing things by himself. You know what came after. Overwatch shutdown. The explosion. I was inside, and I was left for dead. That’s why I have this appearance, as you said.”

“How did you survive?” Hanzo knows he is blankly, but still he tries to look emotionless.

“O'Deorain experiment. She is here too, here she has more freedom to make progress on her research. And here, I have more freedom to take my steps.”

He finally touches the main point.

“Which steps?”

He approaches the Japanese.

“You wanna hear what? Save the world? Ok, if the omnics want war we can have war. We have already won one before. But you know, Hanzo. You’re an assassin. We look for revenge.”

He smirks, raising his eyebrow.

“Whoever is your source is not doing their job well. I may have already killed. But never for revenge. By the way, revenge is the same thing Jack told me he was looking for. You ask me about his stubbornness, yes, I told him what I’m about to say to you and he didn’t change his mind. I hope you can be different from what you criticize. Go live your life. You have already done so much for this world you accuse. To still lose your time with this nonsense, and to destroy it as you are doing is contradictory. You see what we are doing here? Discussing. No weapons. That’s what you and Jack need to do. Just this. And then go to a resort in Hawaii, or wherever you want to.”

Reaper does not say a word. He actually doesn’t know what to say. Even because that is a thought he never gives attention, the few times it appeared on his mind since the fallout, he suppressed it with work.

“You don’t need to join us to look for revenge.” He here goes again, suppressing it.

Hanzo realized some work can be done here.

“O'Deorain is here? I would like to talk to her.”

\---

Amélie looks pensive and stressed the whole flight, fiddling with her own fingers. It seems like she’s building up a plan, sometimes even closing her eyes to gather her thoughts better. McCree tries to not think anything about it, but he can’t help himself when she starts to fidget too much on her seat.

“Are you okay?” He knows it’s a stupid question but he couldn’t think of anything else. She looks at him with a blank face.

“He doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into. It’s not that simple. The horrific things they do…” she looks at her own pale hand, rested on her thigh. McCree doesn’t even think about what he’s doing when he covers her hand with his own, making her look at him.

“We’ll make sure he’ll be fine, okay? We won’t lose him.” He paraphrases Morrison as a reassurance not only to her, but to himself as well. She nods softly and rests her head back on the seat, looking out the window while discreetly intertwining their fingers on her lap.

McCree raises his eyebrows in surprise, but says nothing for some time. He’s taking his time, gathering the courage as if to rip a band-aid off.

“That thing you said…” he starts hesitantly, in a low murmur. Amélie turns her head towards him, but he’s not looking at her. His eyes are trained on their linked hands, almost sheepishly. He drags his thumb over her knuckles in a gentle caress, but smiles and shakes his head. “Forget it. It’s nothing.”

“I know what I said. I meant it. It’s nice having you around. I know I got stuff to deal with but I’m not an ice-cold hearted monster or something like that. I mean, I’m dating Hanzo because I like him.” 

“You’re saying you like me too?” now he just looks like an overexcited puppy, with his whole torso turned towards her. She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

“Quit the foolishness before I take back everything I said.” She says seriously, but actually just being a little evil tease, she can’t help it. He huffs begrudgingly and sulks in his seat, their hands never parting.

She leaves him there for a moment, just for the cruelty of it, before leaning up and muttering right by his ear.

“I like you, idiot.” She turns away before she can see the smile that he keeps for the remainder of the flight.

\---

They land through thick layers of clouds that make the city abnormally cloudy and cool for that time of the year. as soon as they reach the airport lounge, Amélie starts growing stressed again, fiddling with her smartwatch.

“I think there is a luggage storage service somewhere here, we’ll leave our things and go-”

“Hey, slow down.” He grabs her wrist, covering the screen and receiving this bewildered look “I know, just listen to me. Hanzo is a big boy, he can deal with it for now, so we are going to get something to eat, check in at a hotel and then, and  _ only  _ then we are going to Talon’s. Okay? You have to trust him on this, this is his business to deal with.”

“You’re fucking insane, McCree, you better not be even slightly wrong about this.” She hisses, then sighs “Okay, what do you wanna eat?”

“I think i’m in the mood for some gelato right now.” he smirks.

Amélie just rolls her eyes and follows him, wondering when has she gone crazy to the point of acquiescing to his ideas.

\---

Moira was busy the right moment Hanzo asked to see her, but Reaper himself entered in her equipped laboratory full of curious engineering and chemicals to put them in touch.

The japanese, however, was told to wait outside, in a small minimalist grey room as she would finish quickly what she was doing.

Effectively, the redhead scientist appears in the room few seconds later, no more lab coat on.

“Dragon Shimada, it’s a really pleasure to meet you.” She talks with eloquent gestures and a pretentious voice tone while approaching him to a heated handshake.

Hanzo is keeping up his guard for a while, so he does not really feel comfortable to get up from the leather armchair he was sitting in to receive her greeting. But so he does, wondering what this essential character in today's global situation could be plotting behind seemingly cordial greetings.

“I could say it at least interesting getting the opportunity to meet someone whose face I barely saw in my life, but whose name I keep constantly hearing.”

“You flatter me. There is nothing better than seeing my job being recognized.” She smiles at him. And Hanzo has doubts about what it conveys, a mixed feeling of reception and fear. “I could add your name isn’t something I’ve never heard either. Genji’s brother, a potential Overwatch new agent who never joined, but also a potential Talon who never showed up. And now the new drama rumours involving romance.”

“It seems you had the need of fulfilling the lacks of my choices, once you joined both corporation.”

She smiles again, also laughing this time, which is even more curious.

“And you have sense of humor!” She poses an arm on his shoulder leading him to the exit door. “Let’s get some coffee upstairs, you will enjoy the view better.”

She was not wrong. The room she led him to is in the last floor, displaying the same minimalist style as the others, but this one is equipped with a velour couch beside the coffee machine, right in front of the window with view to the city Hanzo is about to know.

“And so, Shimada, have you already being introduced to Rome?” She keeps herself busy with the coffee but as the other does not say a word she turns to him before complementing: “Oh I see…  _ The Reaper _ did not present you properly. Irish coffee?”

Hanzo freezes. Is she offering him it only because she is used to drink this combination or because he is too quiet? Does it mean she knows even the Genebra  _ Café _ thing? Damn. What has Amélie been letting on?

“Yes, please.”

She comes with two cups and sits with one of her own legs on the other extremity of the couch.

“So, tell me, Shimada. What brings you here, how did you arrive… It’s your time to talk.”

He accepts one cup and straightens himself before starting:

“You wouldn’t be surprised. You know I’m here to hear, not to talk. I’m curious about how many people know not only my name, but a lot about my life and moves.” He observes her sipping her drink, seemingly amused. He is still impressed by her height. “Reaper was in Iceland, he was cornered and was about to run way before he called me by my name to come here. That’s it, O’Deorain”

“You can call me Moira, even if I was expecting you to tell me the same when I called you Shimada. But ok, it’s a pretty interesting history. I’m laughing inside thinking about Gabriel being cornered and about you coming here so easily.”

“Why would we be so friendly to each other?”

“Why not? You’re dating our work friend, and beyond that, you want to talk, don’t you? You are not the only one who thinks goals can be reached without guns.”

“That’s true, Moira. Call me Hanzo if you want.”

“Enchanted. I know you can be charming, Hanzo. You don’t need to force me to poison your coffee.” She smiles, even more after his confused face asking if she really did. So she shakes her head with closed eyes. “No, I didn’t. But go ahead, I’m here for your questions. By the way, aren’t you feeling hot with this coat?”

He looks down at himself, makes a face and takes it off to reveal a long sleeved shirt under.

“What brings you here, Moira? In Talon, I mean.”

She inhales deeply, breathing out by her mouth, trembling it as she does.

“You know everyone is in Talon because of its freedom, right? The whole thing has its objectives for sure, but the truth is no one cares about it, or even may care, but we are here for the facilities it gave us to do what we really want to, either aligned with the ones of Talon or not. Have you asked the same thing to Gabriel? If yes, you should have noticed it before.”

“What about yours?” He takes a deep sip.

“They are pretty clear, I imagine. But as you want me to bring them up, I can clearly say it’s all about science. I was in Overwatch because of it, now I’m here still because of it, where I can be more free. I believe in science and I keep dedicating my life to it because I believe there is still a lot of unimaginable levels we can reach if we keep improving it. Like calling out a dragon out of a human arm.”

He sighs mixed with a smirk to her comment.

“Do you like this city?” He points it out with his chin, suddenly feeling very tired.

“Rome? Oh, yes. I see where you want to go.” She finishes her cup and poses it on the center table right in front them. “It’s a beautiful city where I can take some unwinding promenades. Some people may love exploring each corner it has, but my pleasure truly is at the lab. You seem to still look for yours, Hanzo. Have you ever considered the academy?”

He lowers his stare to the couch, but not really seeing it.

“Yes, I did. I never really got into university but the idea has always been in my head.”

“That’s really nice! Go for it, then.”

He returns his gaze to her, surprised.

“I was expecting you to try to convince me to join Talon and all…”

“You can do both, Hanzo. And I don’t need to try it, here you’ll find plenty of people who will try to do it. Gabriel included. He pretty sure didn’t give up on you yet. But what I really want from you is beyond it, and beyond everyone’s interests.”

“Which would be…?”

“I’m curious about the dragon thing that made you famous. I want to take a look at it.” She smiles maliciously. He backs up at the same instant, unconsciously covering his left arm with his hand.

“What kind of thing do you plan to do with it?”

“I told you I’m fascinated by science. It’s just curiosity. But don’t worry, it isn’t supposed to hurt you. It’s about time to you to take a little nap right now.”

“What? What do you mean?” He is now leaning his head on the decorative pillow beside him.

“There was a high concentration of RNA primers binded to benzodiazepines expression fragments in your coffee that the  _ Escherichia coli  _ present in your tongue could use to express them, so you could have a wonderful nap.”

“I believed in you when you said it wasn’t poisoned.” he grits through his teeth.

“But it isn’t! It won’t kill you.” She sounds calm as ever.

“Moira, I mean it, no chemical treatment!!”

“It isn’t chemistry, it’s biotechnology. But don’t worry. Have you really thought they would let you out so simply? Relax, I will meet you again in my lab. I might be done with you before you wake up. Now, have nice dreams, future academic.” She gets up and approaches him as he closes his eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

McCree takes turns between savoring his belgian chocolate gelato and stealing scoops of Amélie’s pistachio one. She side eyes him, but as long as she doesn’t look annoyed, he figures he’s fine.

“Do you always get pistachio?”

“Yes.” She replies, not understanding the reason for the question.

“Why?”

“Because I like it?” She legitimately looks at him as if he were stupid.

“Why don’t you try different flavors?”

“I like this one.” She wonders if he lost his mind, genuinely not understanding his interrogatory. “Why are you so worried about it? There’s nothing wrong with pistachio.”

“Lame.” he states, not looking at her.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re lame.”

She gapes, blinking, speechless.

“Here, try some of this.” He takes a generous scoop from his own cup and holds the spoon before her lips, and pulls it away when she motions to grab it. “Open up.” She reluctantly lets him feed her, averting her gaze as if she was embarrassed. She takes her time, savoring the rich, deep chocolate flavor, and she wants so much to be petty and vile just to tease him, but she can see how hard he’s trying, albeit it was so out of character of him to do this, it was almost adorable. 

“It’s pretty good, indeed.” Amélie declares in her elegant velvety french accent, with a little smile.

“See? I told you.” His smug smile is almost charming and she wonders when did she lose her mind. What she is not anticipating is that he would be observing hers as well. “You know, what I like about traveling is how each city has its own illumination and colors. You’ve never seen more attractive as now, here, I could say.”

She can not undo her smile although her efforts. So she turns his face around to distract herself with the view of some vintage toys store showcase. In about to make a commentary about it, Amélie turns back to Jesse again only to find him way much closer to her. Staring him directly in his eyes, she contract her lips, then low his glance to his mouth.

_ All this is Hanzo’s fault, _ she remembers thinking when their lips touched. She would never be in this situation if it was not for  _ her boyfriend _ . But is she really mad about it? That is why these thoughts fast and easily vanished from her mind and soon became concentrated in all the energy coming up from  _ her partner _ . He kisses her like he meant it more than anything else, a special kind of  _ chaleur _ hard to not appreciate.

“ _ Mi piace molto _ ” He says backing up, his hand caressing her face. She is about to laugh but he starts kissing her again, this time kissing the side of her mouth and her neck too.

“Jesse! Not here.” She pushes him away, almost embarrassed.

“Where do you wanna go, then?” He asks suddenly having fun.

She poses her hand up in his thighs, caressing it.

“We need to go to Talon’s now.” Then she passes her hand through all his torso, ending up in his beard, before getting up from the chair.

Jesse stays seated for some seconds, with a frustrated look before lighting a cigar.

However, once they are outside the  _ piazza,  _ they walk like a couple, holding hands, which reminds Amélie of Hanzo preferring crossed arms instead of it. But she could never make the comparison, this one is taller than her, smokes and avoid heavy commentaries.  _ I hope Hanzo’s fine. _

“Look at that!” Jesse points with his finger some store ahead then. Amélie tries to find out what he is talking about and soon finds a liquor store, but as they approach, the American enters in the esotericism one just beside.

“What the-” She start talking to nobody once he is already inside.

Amélie is still with a misunderstood look on her face while she approaches Jesse who searches for some clothe among the colorful others in the rack.

“How do you suppose I should get into Talon’s without being recognized?” He smiles with all his teeth but without it touching his eyes.

“I can’t believe you. It’s so stupid.”

“So what have you planned, princess?”

This way, few minutes later, they are in the streets again, Amélie upset holding hands with a  _ Gypsy _ . This last means McCree with a black turban, red coat on top of a grey and black patterned shirt, and a lot of accessories, such as star and moon pressure earrings, zodiac signs bracelet and cross necklace, to not mention the black eyeliner.

“So it is it. Let’s read Doomfist furniture.” Amélie annonces almost laughing after they find some place to store their luggages.

“Reading Doomfist furniture is the best thing I could do while you’ll be using your persuasion to get Hanzo out of there… Considering he’s trapped inside.” He answers, sighing to a taxi.

“He’d send us some news if everything was alright. I’m pretty sure… You’d better know your boyfriend better.”

Than they get in the car. Both of them seat on the back seat.

“Let me tell you something.” McCree smiles and turns to her after the instructions are done to the driver. “I love when you say things like that.”

“What kind of things?” Her mind is on the address she just said.

“These things about Hanzo. Like about he being my boyfriend, or how I should hug him… You know, this kind of stuff. I can see in these mockeries how much you like him.”

Amélie make a really confused face to him, raising her eyebrow.

“You say these things to tease or provoke me, but I know the real reason is to defend yourself. Don’t you worry, Amélie, you’re doing it fine in your two relationship. I don’t know if it’s a fear that comes from the previous way you find yourself relating to someone, but relax, I’ve never realized neglect or jealousy in you.”

He smiles to her, a genuine one, she learned to differentiate. But she is choked by his pretension she does not even know if it is true or not. Not coming anything in her mind to say, she turns to the window and wait for the destination to come.

They get out of the car in front of a dark grey building that looks more extensive to its sides than upwards. Considering it is fairly far from the historic center, it is possible to notice its modern architecture and larger street where it is located.

The main door is made in black glass on the center of a spare square which is main part of the long building. Without holding hands, they enter the place trying to feel usual.

Amélie has been here severals times, but she never felt this anxiety before. Anyway, she knows what to do and where to go. The first place they need to check is the visitors room on the second floor, but if they want to avoid bumping into someone undesirable, it would be better if they took the stairs in the middle of the corridor on the right. This way, she only nods to the person behind the service balcony and crosses the entrance hall making a serious face in order to not be approached.

McCree is just behind her, making no idea of where he is in, but absorbing the greater amount of information he is able to get in discreet looks.

The sumptuousness of the place seems to be paused behind the stair door. It’s a completely white place without nothing else.

They can go up two floors without crossing the way of anybody, however, when Amélie tries to open the door, it is looked.

“Damn!”

“What?” McCree asks without realizing.

“It’s locked.  _ Putain. _ ” She gets out of the way giving him space to try, like it would work somehow .

“There isn’t another?” He is not able to open it neither.

“Yes there is, but on the other side of the building… It would be easier to get the elevators.”

“Let’s g-… Woah!” Jesse interrupts himself as he feels his gun being pulled out from its place.

Suddenly Sombra appears in front of them, the pistol pointed to Jesse.

“ _ ¡Hola!  _ You two, you come with me.” She raises one of her eyebrows and then the door behind them opens and two Talon guards help her surrendering them both.

“What are you doing, Sombra?” Amélie can feel angry.

“What are YOU doing, I could ask, Widowmaker. Bringing an Overwatch agent in this ridiculous disguise?”

“Why are you asking me this way? You know I have a reason for it.”

“You do better have when Reaper come see this betrayal.”

Both her and McCree has their hands tied and guns away. They look one to another with rage and impotence, almost snorting. But they keep pushing until one room where they are left, but not before Sombra annonces:

“You better start elaborating your speech once I’m pretty sure he’ll arrive soon as he knows it. You have less than 20 minutes.” She seems to emphasize the time.

**_____ **

  
  


The view of Rome is what he gets after the illuminated gray ceiling above his head. One big church at his left is what he supposes to be the Vatican. But soon enough he remembers why he is here. At once he gets up and opens the door, expecting it to be closed, but it is not. He puts his head at the corridor, but does not find anyone crossing it.

His next step is to examine his own body. He is not feeling any pain, or any sickness. His coat is hanging at the coach he was sleeping. He finally recognizes the room as the same he had coffee. Before putting the coat, he takes his shirt off to examine his own arm. But it does not have any mark or scar.

Leaving the room, Moira appears right back.

“No, Hanzo! Let me talk to you one thing.”

However, he makes a mad face at her and jumps in her direction to hit her with a martial leg blow. In the half of his move, Moira disappears in the air and reappears on the other side of the room.

“Wow! You don’t need to be this angry! You just helped with a powerful progress in science.” She announces while watching him going straight to the wall, arriving to avoid hitting it, but not doing it gracefully.

“What you made with me, Moira?” He gives her a challenger look.

“I did not make anything, as I said. I just studied you. I give you my word I know you don’t believe in, but I give you anyway. Can you realize how magnificent your power is? It can be used in such different ways, including in medicine an-”

“So you better use it for the good. I want to see it being applied soon. I never consent with your research, you know it.”

“It’ll be, you’ll see. Now, c’mon, I can take you out of here. I can say you’re under my custody and let you out.”

“Why would I trust you?”

“What you plan to do? Get yourself out all alone? And without your bow which, by the way, I can give back to you. You made me really happy in the lab, Hanzo. I am not even asking you to call your dragon out, even if I would adore to see it.”

“Only if you were tied in the wall when I’d do it.” He smirks, somehow fascinated by her curiosity.

“I wouldn’t mind, you know, I’d find a way to get me out.” She smiles in back. “And you’d be smiling, which is really better than your usual face, you know, even because it’s a rare event.

He is smiling again, having mixed feelings for her, angry, fear and appreciation.

In one of the rooms of the corridor she picks his bow and blue arrow bag up and gives it back to him.

“See?”

Commentary which he ignores, and does not even say “thank you”.

They head up to the elevator in the main hall. A really large one, in rounded triangular form, reaching the many upper floors which have balconies to it. It is made all in black, beige and wine marble. One big statue of Talon logo is found at the center, in dark gray. A service desk is located at one of the sides, and there are two guards at the main door.

Hanzo is quietly amazed by it all while they are waiting for the elevator. Unexpectedly, the archer notices Amélie crossing the entrance with someone beside her. It seems like a gypsy man, with his black turban and colorful clothes. But soon Hanzo realizes who he is and he can not believe they did not make anything about his beard.

_ Goddamn, what are they doing here? _

“Moira, I almost forgot… Do you have a lab partner, don’t you?” He annonces as the elevator arrives.

“Who are you talking about?” Moira makes a curious face at him, entering. But the other stays outside.

“I can’t remember his name, but it’s a famous physician who works in something involving gravity.”

“You really should join the research once you even heard about Mr. de Kuiper. We just call him Sigma, he’s okay with it. We aren’t actually  _ lab partners _ , however.”

“Could I talk to him first?”

“C’mon, enter the elevator. I don’t know if he has arrived yet, but okay, I can take you there.” The elevator door closes and she gives him a nasal laugh. “Just let me ask you why would you like to see him.”

“Ah, you know. Just talk… Like I was intended to do with you.”

“I could almost take you as a talkative guy.” She smirks, leaning at the elevator wall and side glancing him.

To it he does not have any word in response, he is more concerned about the elevador leading them to the underground once more. He should have thought of that, he already knew the laboratories were on the basements, but Sigma was the first person who came up in his mind. Now he is planning some consistent question to make him and do not show himself like he was lost. He even needs to find a way to get out of there and go for his partners. His worries are a little vanished when Moira says uninterested after they stand at the door in the other side of her own lab:

“Lucky you, he is already there. But you better hurry up once I have my own business to mind and I won’t be around all the time to save your ass.”

The door opens but Moira has already gone. Hanzo wide his eyes when find himself all alone, facing the fascinating human being who is floating. He is looking for something to say but Sigma is the one who talks first:

“O'Deorain has gone?” His voice is so polite but it has a strangely despair tone hide underneath it as he search for something behind Hanzo.

“Y-yes.” He is still unprepared.

“What can I do for you?” He ask tenderly, with a subtle smile.

The japanese now ponders the option of say sorry and get out of there on his own, but he fears for Moira being not far enough to miss all the dialogue.

“Hello…” He did not want to call him by the nickname, however, he can not remember the physician’s real one. “…Sigma. I’m Hanzo Shimada. I’d like to know if you have some minutes for us to talk a little.” He finds interesting that the other did not know who he was once everybody knows Hanzo’s name. He is also wondering how polite himself can be.

“Sure! Get inside.” He leans on the door to give way to the other, closing it just after. “Do you want some coffee?”

Hanzo smiles with disdain, facing him who does not seem to understand it. “No, thank you.” But soon he is eyeing the enclosure at the other side of the glass wall again, surprised by the huge size of it, its organization and whiteness, to not mention the quite astonishing equipments and numerous doors.

There are a couch and three armchairs in the before room where they sit down.

“You are the dragon man, right?” Sigma studies the painting on the coat with an interested glance.

_ Here we go _ , Hanzo thinks.

“Yes, I am… How does everyone seems to know me?” He asks almost laughing, observing the other who is really seating on the couch, and not floating. He seem comfortable and interested in the discussion, which is a pity because Hanzo can not stop thinking in get the way out soon as possible. He has to fight the feeling of swinging the legs or tapping his fingers.

“You come from a well-known family, I guess. And there is all the story involving your brother, I could say. Actually, I heard it all from O'Deorain…” He lows his eyes to his stylish lab coat he still wears, before scratching his almost bald gray hair, and continuing: “So, what would you like to talk about?”.

The archer blinks a few times and inspires before formulating his question.

“E-eh… I’ll go straight to the point so.” He raises his eyes to the strong lights on the ceiling, choosing the words. “Talon keeps asking me to join it, but before, I’d like to know what its members have to say about the corporation.”

“Oh I see. Well, I could say it’s a really nice opportunity to have all this investment in my life career research. I’m thankful to Talon.”

“But I’m pretty sure they give it all to you expecting something in return. Do you feel comfortable with the deadlines or whatever it could be?”

Something seems to happen in his mind once he gazes his eyes to stare nothing in particular in mid air. He stays in silence for several seconds and Hanzo starts to regret the question.

“Okay, no more difficult questions,  _ Hanzito _ .” Sombra appears right in front of them out of nowhere. The Japanese gets up in an instant and Sigma only blinks, focusing his glance. “You might be useful on the first floor, on the storage room at the end of the corridor on the left side for who gets out of the elevator. You might wanna go there right now if you don’t want to get any hindrance on your way.  _ Boop. _ ” Then she disappears again.

Thanking her in his mind, Hanzo nods to the physician as he says his goodbye, and tells him he appreciated the talk.

He was fearing Moira could be waiting for him outside, but she is out of sign so he does not take any long to take the elevator to the first floor. Memorizing the instructions was not hard to him, so he could pick the left without any doubt once he arrives.

The corridor is empty except for one person he does not know coming in the direction to the elevator. She widens her eyes when she sees him and says “Mr. Shimada” noding.

Hanzo nods back, almost rolling his eyes. Thankfully she does not stop to talk, so he can return his path to end of the corridor. It is once again a totally clean one, in marble and step echoing. He has to resist the impulse to run, but he walks as fast as would not be high suspiciously.

He is halfway there, imagining million things at the same time, like how it all can be an ambush - actually something he can tell them after if he survive,  _ I felt in an ambush for you without even thinking _ .  _ Because you’re dumb _ , he can imagine Amélie answering. This makes him smile. But he is also thinking what would be the next step if they are actually there. Even with all these worries, he even imagines himself walking through this building like he would be part of it. Curious and odd.

The door of the storage room is finally in front of him. Or, at least, the door he supposes to be. One, two, three… It is unlocked and opens in a silent movement.

“Hanzo-kun!!” Jesse’s deep voice is what he hears while studying the scene of the gypsy tied back to back to Amélie. He approaches them who have relief looks on their face, closing the door.

This room is different from the others he have been to. The room itself has two levels and no glassed window.

It still seems like an Ambush, without anyone around and their guns right on the table, beside the handcuff keys. Anyway, it is not like he had another choice.

“What are you doing here?” He grabs the keys and tries to open the handcuff.

“Saving you”. McCree answer almost making them laugh.

“Sombra got us here.” Amélie says dryly, once she is free. “You better watch out for her. She might still be here.”

“Sombra? It was her who told me to get here.” Hanzo gives her the rifle and the infra-sight. To McCree, he only passes his peacekeeper, receiving a tight hug in return.

“I had thought I’d be your white knight but you turned out to be mine.” He holds his head with both hands.

“Okay, Sombra is not here. But Reaper is on his way. We need to leave now.” Amélie has her infra-sight lens on. “Let’s take the second floor exit.” While they climb the tight steps of the stair, she asks what Sombra actually said.

“It seems the hacker did liked our threesome.” McCree concludes once Hanzo explained what happened, closing the door behind them.

“She could just left us alone, I should say. But there she is, ‘saving’ us but trying to impress Talon at the same time… Guys, the main entrance is being supervisioned right now. We must find another way to get out.” She warns them but does not stop walking.

“I’ve arrived by an aerial base, for what I imagine.” Hanzo arguments in a suggestion.

“We could check it out. I hope we’ll be able to open whatever be the door there if it is locked.”

They approach the end of the corridor, almost touching the main hall. The yellow lights on the molding making it look like a brighten but sober dream.

“I’m still mad about what Moira did to you.” Amélie resumes the story. “It was without your consent, you know! I need to check what she really did. I can access her data from Gabriel’s computer, and I can see he isn’t at his room right now. We gonna take the elevator straight there and them we leave.”

The other two only shug one to another and follow her into the elevator.

“What is the astrological forecast for us to get out of here?” Hanzo asks with his crossed arms smirking to McCree after the door closes.

“You should have seen him before it. The moron was dressed like you. I mean, the same hairstyle and literally your clothes.” Amélie smiles, searching for nothing on the walls and ceiling. McCree laughs with no shame, and flirty stares the archer.

The doors open, someone other gets in after they get out the elevator, but the person does not say even a greeting.

“Right, his room is right here.” She turns to Hanzo and waits for him after she realizes the door is looked, but is McCree the one who talks:

“I can shoot our way in.”

Only then the archer understands it.

“We don’t wanna call all this attention to us with a bullet,  _ darling. _ ” He opens his guitar case and put one arrow at the bow. Soon in a blow the doorknob comes loose. “Perfect!”

“I appreciate the ‘darling’, honey.” Jesse touches his turban pretending it is his hat once they are already inside, Amélie busy at the computer and they putting a desk in front of the door.

“You better know I’m not paying for it.” Hanzo warns and Amélie snorts in a laugh behind the computer.

“ _ D’accord _ ,” She says with her eyes on the screen. “I can see that Reaper starts taking his way to the room we were, it seems, and nobody is coming here. I guess Sombra is seated discussing with Moira downstairs. We have time, and I need only three minutes, anyway.”

Looking at his surroundings, McCree leans on the desk they just moved and find it funny being again on Gabe’s office. This one is a black and gold one. It is smaller than the older, but it is fancier and has less things around. What has not changed was his organization. Everything is on place except for the chair. But the circumstances could never be more different. Is he the same guy he once knew? Is he the betrayal or the secret spy? He needs to get the chance in the future to talk to him, in a better moment.

_ Knock knock. _

The door does not open. All three look at it but soon McCree and Hanzo look at Amélie.

“Don’t worry” She moves her lips without making a sound, scanning the files quickly, with some effort getting to a folder where all experiment information is kept. However, right as she opens the folder, she catches some movement to their left with her infra-sight. “Reaper is on his way.” She annonces with voice now.

“What we should do?” Hanzo asks picking his bow.

“You two think about it, I need to finish here.”

Amélie finds the file about Hanzo and skims it, she finds information that make her both angry and relieved at the same time. She closes the window and scrolls down quickly, just to make sure she wasn’t missing anything else about it when she spots a file with her name and immediately starts reading it.

“Haven’t you found it yet?” He approaches her who starts blinking.

“About Hanzo yes, Moira apparently didn’t do anything to him, indeed. She only made something to get a sample of him.” She declares offhandedly, focused on what she’s reading. 

Listed there, she sees all the procedures they did to her, right from the beginning of it all, from the neural reconditioning to the physical experimentation, to the incident with Gérard, to missions she has done. Everything. Nothing she didn’t know of. However, the latest update was fairly long and by skimming it she could see details about her involvement with Hanzo.

_ ‘The subject has started keeping close-to-solid relationship with Hanzo Shimada, rogue member of the Shimada clan. Not affiliated to any corporation. Being watched closely.’ _

_ ‘Displacement to Geneve. With Hanzo Shimada.’ _

_ ‘Seen with Jesse McCree, from the Overwatch unit’ _

_ ‘Displacement to New York. Followed by Hanzo Shimada and Jesse McCree’ _

They have kept the closest of the eyes on them, but they should never have underestimated them. They have everything, the cruiser, Iceland, everything. The last line reads:

_ ‘Subject has been compromised. Schedule new session of neural reconditioning’ _

She freezes. They wanted to brainwash her again. And probably do who-knows-what to the other two. The idea causes her a blood seeking feeling that makes her extremely enraged, but her face has never been so blank before.

“C’mon, Amélie, we need to get out of here.” The Japanese is now beside her, putting his hand on her elbow. She doesn’t even twitch.

“No. I need to save this data to myself. Take care of the door. Reaper is already getting out of the elevator.”

McCree exchanges glances with him, silently and returns to hold the desk beside Hanzo who joins him.

The loose door handle moves, followed by an attempt to push the door.

_ Bum Bum _ .

The wood is hit by punches.

McCree and Hanzo, look clueless to Amélie but she does not move her eyes from the screen. They hold their weapons tightly.

They expect the door to be pushed each time harder. Or even to it be shattered in a hit. What happens, however, is a thin dark smoke starting to slip inside by the hole made by the arrow before. It enters slowly but the two look with despair.

“We need to go. NOW.” McCree almost shout to the French. “I have the worst memories from starting a gun fight inside a Talon’s basement.”

“Let’s go.” She gets up. They are still clueless about where to. “The window, she says. My hook will have to carry me and Jesse, tho. Hanzo can climb the wall to the roof, we’re at the last level. We’ll wing it.

The men exchange looks and join her in the task to open the big window.

“Ready?” She asks to the American who nods. They both jumps out without even look to the ground, lowering a bit before getting high by the hook.

For Hanzo is not a easy climb once it has to start with glass. He takes some seconds to realize he could use the chair to get some leverage to reach the top of the window easily. He puts the chair on the very edge and projects his body to the other window to his right. When he finally takes his last feet from the chair, he sees through the glass the whole body of Reaper staring him. Even underneath his coat, he can feel like his blood freezes. However the other does not take any action, he only stares. Hanzo can not realize his expression behind the mask, so he nods before continuing to climb, and surprises himself when Gabriel nods back, on the other side.

The wind appears to be colder on the flat roof.

“You took long.” Amélie says turning her back once he arrives. “C’mon, we need to go to the other edge to get to the floor easily. We need to hurry before they come for us.”

The archer heard every word and starts following them. But in a long time he feels like the things have aligned. Right on Talon’s roof, surrounded by a stunning view from Rome. He does not need to be hurry. He wants to profit this odd moment where the oddiness started to be meaningful. Moreover, he now understood nobody will come for them for the moment.

To get to the floor, McCree and Amélie use her hook again, but this time he is the first to get down.

They run through the streets toward the city and enter the first taxi that stops. All three on the back seat.

“ _ Ciao!  _ Where are you going?” The driver asks.

“Just take us downtown, for now.” McCree responds in the window when nobody seemed to have an answer.

They stay in silence for some seconds, their breath still loud.

“Ok, you can already scold us now, Hanzo.” The gunslinger comments offhandedly, staring out the window. But he doesn’t get an answer. Turning around, Hanzo is looking at Amélie, who stares lifelessly ahead.

“Am, what’s wrong?”

It’s exactly the cheeky nickname that makes her snap out of her thoughts. She looks from McCree to Hanzo on each of her sides. She turns back to McCree, softening her gaze when she sees the worry in his eyes.

“I’m fine now.”

“Are you sure, darling?” Hanzo asks

He already expected them both to turn to him abruptly with surprise faces.

“ _ Darling _ ? Heh heh” McCree is the one who asks, his shoulder moving.

“Yes of course.” She chooses carefully her words after his sentence, the eyebrows lifted implicity asking  _ what the hell _ . “But what about you? We  _ ruined  _ your plan to get infiltrated in Talon’s and obtain your answers.”

“Do you really think I’m mad about it? You entered there ‘cause I know you were worried about me, what I can be is grateful. Well, it did not ended as it was planned. Neither for you or for me, but we’re here now, right?”

She still raises her eyebrow. “ _ Je suis étonnée. _ ”

“Me too.” McCree completes.

“Did you even understand what she said, your idiot?” Hanzo asks avoiding to laugh. McCree contract his lips, repressing the laugh too. “She says I’ve changed.”

“Wow!” He reflects a little. “It might be a little longer than she realized it, so, I dare saying. Back in Genebra, two guys went to your house because of me and what did you do? You invited me to get drunk in a rooftop in New York.”

“Hey, it was your idea.” He punches the shoulder of the other in his side. “But yeah, it might be longer than you’re thinking,  _ darling _ .”

She turns back to him once again after the use of the word.

“It also be that Jesse pays more attention to you than I do, maybe.” She winks. “And what are the  _ darling  _ thing?

“I’m not sure… I just realized we had the possibility to not be here together right now. I’m happy we are.”

“ _ Mi scusi _ …” The unfamiliar voice of the driver comes from the front “…I know it’s not of my business, but I’m here curious if you three are in a relationship.”

They all look one to another surprisingly, seeking the answer in somewhere in the other’s faces.

“Yes, we’re together, sir.” The American is the one who answered. Amélie and Hanzo turns to their window at the same time, blushing.

“Wow! That’s cool!” The driver comments back.

“You two are cute.” McCree laughs to the snipers and extend his arms to hug them both. “What an adventure, huh?”

“Unpredictable,  _ huh _ ?” Hanzo, turns his red face to him and plays with Jesse’s earring, smirking about his clothes again.

“By the way, oh great fortune teller  _ boyfriend _ …” Amélie seems to always find it funny “…what does the tarot have to say about Talon losing an agent?”

The American whistles and Hanzo turns to her at the same moment.

She shugs and turn back to the window, but not without saying: “You should consult about Overwatch too.”

About that, McCree doesn’t have an answer at the ready, but the Japanese is glad it is not him the one who is making these appointments. The harder one has been already beaten, about it he is sure, however.

“And what about you, dragon boyfriend, do you already have my answer?”

“By the end of the winter I’ll probably have it.” He leans his elbow on the other’s shoulder, returning the hug.

“The winter is almost over…” Jesse comments raising one eyebrow to which Hanzo raises his in return. “Hell yes. Winter is almost over. Driver, we already know where to go. Take this trio to the best ice-cream shop in the town.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it the end?  
It has been a very pleasant writing for both authors, we hope you found it as enjoyable reading as it was to us. Maybe a season 2 could be presented in future, why not?


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue** _by candemtown_

Not only McCree needs to resolve specific things in his personal life. That is why all three came together to the airport. But he is the one who has the earliest flight. It would also be important to remark that all their commitments are important, not only for itself, but for the possibility to be alone for a while. Possibility that any of them are sure about the others’ reaction if pronounced clearly, but Hanzo is willing to discover.

They stand in front of Jesse’s gate with mixed feelings of exciting and sadness. Geneva, Switzerland, is indicated on the screen behind.

“You totally should pass by that café again.” Hanzo advices laughing. “Even if I’m pretty sure you gonna miss me.”

“Obviously I will. I said I’m returning to Geneva to have my  _ little talk  _ with the new Overwatch, but actually my main goal is to return to that café, you know.” he joins the laugh with Amélie.

So, they share a goodbye hug just at the moment Hanzo planned to act:

“I’m sure it is. Even cause isn’t it? Don’t you love me?”

He likes how the American stiffens a little in his arms. Jesse then backs his head up a little to look him straight in his eyes.

“Pretty handy with your questions, huh?” his usual smirk never seemed more attractive to Hanzo once it answered the Japanese before any word would be pronounced. “Of course, I do, your big virgin.” But he completes in a way Hanzo knew he could, but he was not ready anyway. “Just like you do.”

The archer smirks in the same way back, smiles to Amélie beside who is apparently in shock, and answers “I do” before kissing him tenderly.

When it is the time to Amélie to say goodbye, both her and Jesse are not casual as before. They could not ignore what just passed and pretend it is not now anticipated the same thing from them now.

“Fuck Shimada, right?” McCree curses before hugging Amélie close. “If you’re wondering if I’m really going back to that coffee, I must say I’ll, and I’ll also do it for you, who instigated this man to have… what you called? hell yes, a  _ crush _ on me. Without it, I would never be able to say I love a couple of snipers.”

She just undoes the hug without any word on her lips.

“Ok,  _ spider lady _ , you could at least thank me. It’s cold but it perfectly fits you.” he smirks.

“It’s just… I don’t know if I do. But even the doubt is an advance for me.”

“You did not complain about how I called you. Now I know you do, ma’am. Can’t wait to see you again.”

And then he takes his way to the plane, leaving a wondering Amélie and an amused Hanzo behind.

“I never thought I’d be excited about returning to Paris.” She confesses as they walk toward their gates. “You two gave me so much to think about. You mainly.”

“Good things, I hope.”

“Mostly, yeah. I’ll miss you, anyway.”

He looks at her smiling.

“McCree already made me tell it to you, but, oh my, yes I love you! You know since when we initially started this whole thing we had different almost opposite objectives. You really succeeded on helping me discovering new things. I’m pretty sure your trip will help you now to revive your memories. When we meet again, I know you will have an answer to me about your feelings.”

“You’re awesome, Hanzo. You’re so good to me, thank you for it. I’m pretty sure I have already your answer. I hope you have a nice trip to Japan, finally confronts your past and decides if the university is truly your will. When we meet again, I hope I will be ready to face those things you helped me found out that are feelings.”

“I couldn’t be more ready for it.” They share a tight hug in front of her gate. Once they undo and stare each other, Hanzo asks with a smirk: “So, what will it be? A fondue for the summer?”

**Epilogue** _by ClearDelacroix  
_

It's been already a week since Amélie left. Although not for good, it was not the same without her. However, due to their loner nature, it was natural that sometimes they would need time apart from the other two.

"I miss her" McCree whimpers, and it's a funny image, as he's laying on Hanzo's chest and they are on the grass of his backyard. Hanzo chuckles.

“My my, who would have guessed you were this clingy” McCree furrows his brows and rests his chin on the other’s chest, as so to look at him directly.

“What does this even mean?”

“That you, this big, fearless needs-no-one cowboy would be this cheesy”

“What? That’s nonsense, I’m not nearly as intimidating as you.”

“Me?”

“Of course, look at you, all intimidating samurai type shit with your tattoos and your bad boy face.”

Hanzo can’t stop laughing at his antics, and deep down even finds it adorable.

“All right you big baby, why don’t you give her a call?”

“You know what? That’s actually a great idea.” He sits up and draws his cellphone from his pocket, promptly video calling Amélie. A few seconds later, her beautiful face framed by fancy sunglasses fill the screen. For once, she’s wearing her hair down.

“Took you long enough, I was expecting you to call sooner.” she says, apparently walking around some type of store. Jesse smiles at the sight of her.

“Why? Did you miss me?”

“I just assumed you would be clingy enough to.” At that point, Hanzo openly laughs and McCree rolls his eyes.

“Whatever, how’s things there? Are you having fun?”

She sighs, not really looking like it.

“I was just trying to have some peace and quiet for once and-”

“Look Amélie! This color looks great on me!” A lot closer than any personal space bubble would allow, a side profile invades the screen and that sidecut would be recognizable anywhere. Sombra looks towards the camera upon noticing the call, and she’s wearing bright metallic purple lipstick that would suit nobody else but her.

“Hey, ¡hola papis! I was just asking Amélie when you guys would let me in this thing of yours, it seems wild, it would be so fun!”

“Sorry, no vacancies here, but I’ll keep you updated.” McCree winks at her at the same time Amélie says “Stop encouraging her”

“Oh Jesse, I always knew you were my favorite! See you chicos soon!” And she leaves, only an exasperated Amélie remaining.

“Why are you wearing sunglasses inside?” Hanzo pops up.

“Sombra can drink way too much tequila for a human being.” Hungover Amélie is Extra Grumpy Murderous Stares Amélie. Yikes.

“Oh. Please come home soon?” Hanzo offers, with sympathy for her apparent suffering.

“Just a few more days.” She sighs, while Sombra yells something on the background. “Talk to you later.” she hangs up without expecting an answer. McCree turns to Hanzo and smiles.

“Happy now?” The japanese asks, tucking a strand of McCree’s hair behind his ear. It’s gotten quite long, it makes him even more charming.

“Never been happier, boyfriend” McCree states and brings him in for a deep kiss, one that is finally his by right, and one where he can find comfort and it’s so rewarding, and familiar. Like ice cream in the winter.


End file.
